March 3, 2025 • 35 mins
đź“– Daniel 6 | The Greater Guild Loading Screen
The battle isn’t always about winning—it’s about standing strong. In today’s message, we explore how Daniel’s faithfulness led him into the lions’ den, but his trust in God never wavered.
When life throws you into your own lions' den, do you panic or do you pray? Do you compromise or do you hold fast to faith?
This episode will challenge you to:
⚔️ Stay faithful even when the outcome is uncertain
🛡️ Trust God through opposition
🎲 See how faith applies to everyday struggles—RPG style!
Join Pastor Brandon for this powerful message and be encouraged to stand strong in your own battles!
🎧 Subscribe for more faith-filled content!
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Episode Transcript
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Greater Guild Announcer (00:03):
Welcome to the Greater Guild Loading
Screen, the podcast where faithmeets geek culture. Pastor
Brandon is your guide fortoday's journey into discovering
timeless truths in a way thatspeaks to geeks, gamers, and
everyone in between. In today'sepisode, we continue our stand
series with a powerful message,stand strong. What happens when
standing for truth leads toopposition? How do we hold fast
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to our faith when the stakes arehigh?
Daniel faced his greatestchallenge when a decree forced
him to choose betweencompromising his faith or facing
the lion's den. He didn't have aguarantee of rescue, only a deep
trust in God, no matter theoutcome. Whether you're facing
your own lion's den at work, inrelationships, or even in your
personal faith journey, thisepisode will equip you to stand
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firm and trust God even when thebattle seems impossible. So grab
your potions, equip your bestarmor, and get ready Because
today, we're learning what ittruly means to stand strong.
Pastor Brandon Holm (01:02):
Every Herio's journey leads to moments
of decision, times when theymust choose between courage and
compromise, truth and deception,fear and faith. The world is
full of trials that test ourresolve, moments that demand we
either take a stand or fade intothe shadows. Now throughout this
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stand series, we've beenexploring what it means to be
people of faith in a world thatoften opposes the ways of God.
In our first message stand out,we saw how Daniel and his
friends chose to remain faithfulto God rather than conform to
the Babylonian culture. Theyrefused to eat the king's food
not because they wanted torebel, but because their
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devotion to God came beforetheir comfort.
Last week we took it further instand up where we saw the power
of speaking out for truth. Weexplored the moment in Daniel
four when Daniel courageouslystood before King Nebuchadnezzar
and interpreted his dream whichwas very troubling. This was not
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just any message. It was aprophetic warning that the king
would be humbled because of hispride. It was a high risk
moment, definitely.
Daniel could have softened thetruth, avoided the
confrontation, or chosen silenceto protect himself. But he stood
up and spoke boldly. And whatdid we learn from that? Well,
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number one, speaking the truthtakes courage. You know, just
like Daniel, we are often calledto speak up when it would be
easier to just stay silent.
Number two, the truth must bespoken in love. Daniel didn't
deliver the message toNebuchadnezzar with arrogance,
but with humility and concern.And third, God is the one who
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ultimately changes hearts. Theresults of our obedience are in
his hands, not ours. But takinga stand for truth is just the
beginning.
What happens when standing upleads to direct opposition? What
do we do when our faith ischallenged? When following God
puts us in direct conflict withthe world around us? That brings
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us to this week's battle,standing strong in the face of
danger. In Daniel six, we moveforward to a new king and a new
test, but one that follows thesame pattern.
Daniel remains faithful,opposition arises, and God
reveals his power. If you arewalking faithfully with God,
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expect to face trials. I do. Theforces of darkness do not bother
with those who are standingstill. The enemy will always try
to weaken those who are growingstronger.
Have you ever had a moment whereall of a sudden things are going
so great and all of a suddensomething bad happens? There you
are, and it's a test to see howwe react to that. So the
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question is, will you stand firmeven when it could cost you
everything? So we've establishedthat standing for God means
standing against the flow of theworld. Daniel had already stood
out in Babylon, refusing tocompromise his faith.
He stood up speaking hard truthsto king. Now, he faces the
ultimate test, standing strongin the face of a direct attack
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against his faith. At this pointin Daniel's life, things should
have been smooth sailing. He wasno longer a young exile trying
to prove himself in a foreignland. He had served faithfully
faithfully for decades, earningthe respect of kings and
influencing the greatest empirein the world.
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But the truth is the higher Godraises you, the more visible you
become. The more visible youbecome, the more opposition will
come. Take a look at allcelebrities. Take a look at
people who are very popular onsocial media, influencers on you
on YouTube, Twitch influencers,you know, those people. But
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Daniel's story in chapter sixtakes place under a new king,
King Darius.
Now at this point in time,Babylon has fallen, and now the
Medo Persian Empire is rulingthe land. When Darius took the
throne, he recognized Daniel'swisdom, leadership, and
integrity. Darius was known asan administrative genius. He
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wasted no time in restructuringthe government, appointing a 20
and a 20, set traps, which wereknown which is the name for the
local regional governors tooversee different areas of the
empire. Just like we haveadministrative districts in our
own our own country here in TheUnited States known as states,
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we have a governor and then, youknow, it breaks down from there.
Think about it that way. Overthese, he placed three high
officials and Daniel definitelywas one of them, but Daniel just
didn't do his job. He excelledat it. Now let's go ahead and
read into, let's see. Danielsix, three through four.
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And it says, then this Danielbecame distinguished above all
other high officials and satrapsbecause an excellent spirit was
in him. And the king planned toset him above the whole kingdom.
Then the high officials, AnnaSetraps, sought to find a ground
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for complaint against Danielwith regard to the kingdom, but
they could find no ground forcomplaint or any fault because
he was faithful, and no error orfault was found on him. Daniel's
exceptional qualities set himapart from every other leader in
the kingdom. His integrity madehim stand out in a corrupt
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world, and the king took notice.
Darius saw something in Daniel,his faithfulness, wisdom, and
diligence, and decided topromote him even higher. But
what should have been a momentof victory became a target on
his back. The other officialsjealous and very power hungry
just like people at work, right,plotted against him. They wanted
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to take him down. Now in thismoment, I want you to understand
the spiritual principle we'resetting up here.
When God raises you up,opposition will come. If you are
growing in faith, the enemy willtry to discourage you. If you
are leading others towards God,the enemy will try to stop you.
If you are being promoted byGod, expect resistance. I mean,
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look at Daniel.
He had no corruption, so theycouldn't really attack his
character. He had no negligence,so these guys couldn't accuse
him of failing in his duties. Hewas trustworthy, so they
couldn't find a way to discredithim. So what did these guys do?
They attacked the one thing theyknew they could use against him,
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his faith.
Look at what Daniel's enemy saidin Daniel six five. Then these
men said, we shall find we shallnot find any ground for
complaint against this Danielunless we find it in connection
with the law of his god. What atestament to Daniel's integrity
and faithfulness. They knewDaniel was so committed to God
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that they could use his owndevotion against him. If someone
wanted to attack you, could theyuse your faith as the evidence
against you?
And we're seeing this now in TheUnited States as it is.
Christians are being the oneswho who are being attacked, yet
other groups are not. And yetwe're still holding on strong.
Would they know without a doubtthat you spend time with God?
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Would they be able to say, weknow this person prays every
day?
Would they be certain that yourloyalty to God is unshakable?
Daniel's life was so consistent,so faithful that even his
enemies knew where he stood.They crafted a law specifically
to trap him knowing he wouldnever compromise. And this is
where the real battle begins.See, Daniel could have
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compromised.
He could have hidden his faith,taken a temporary pause, or
found a way to avoid theconflict. But Daniel knew
something. The battle is neverjust about us. When you walk in
integrity, your life becomes awitness to the world. When you
stand strong in trials, peoplesee the faithfulness of God.
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When you choose character overcompromise, your life becomes a
testimony to God's power. Thisis why the enemies fight against
those who stand for God. This iswhy Daniel's enemies targeted
him. This is why our battle isnot just against people, but
against spiritual forces of ourdarkness. For when for we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against
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the authorities, against thecosmic powers over this present
darkness, against the spiritualforces of evil in the heavenly
places.
The battle lines had been drawn.Daniel's enemies had set a trap
knowing full well that hisfaithfulness to God would lead
him straight to it. The law wassigned. The punishment was
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clear. Daniel had a choice,compromise or stand firm.
And this is the same choice thatevery follower of God faces in
times of crisis. When pressurerises, will we follow God or
follow the world? When trialscome, will we stand strong or
give in? When the enemy attacks,will we turn to God in prayer or
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collapse in panic? Daniel'senemies expected him to panic,
compromise, or hide.
Instead, he did what he hadalways done. He knelt before God
and prayed. This is the definingmoment of faith. Our strength to
stand in public comes from ourdevotion in private. The
decision to stand strong is notmade in the moment of crisis.
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It's made long before thethrough a life of devotion to
prayer. When trouble comes, theworld reacts in fear, anger, or
desperation. We've seen this,especially when we had the
crisis in 02/2008 financiallyand also the pandemic in 2020.
And look what happened. Some runaway and try to avoid the
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problem.
Some fight back in their ownstrengths using manipulation or
control. And others just shutdown in despair, believing there
is no way out. The followers ofGod are called to a different
response. Instead of reacting tofear, we kneel in faith. Instead
of manipulating, we surrender toGod's power.
And instead of of shutting down,we press to into prayer. Daniel
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could have panicked. He couldhave negotiated with the king,
found an excuse to pause hisprayers, or even prayed to in
secret to avoid detection. Butthis he refused. Why?
Because Daniel knew the truth.Battle is not won by human
strength, but through prayer. SoDaniel's first response is
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prayer, not panic. And let'sread Daniel six ten. When Daniel
knew that the document had beensigned, he went in he went to
his house where he had windowsin his upper chamber open
towards Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees threetimes a day and prayed and gave
thanks before his god as he haddone previously. See what
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happens there? Daniel didn'tchange his routine. He didn't
panic, and he didn't hide. Hesimply continued doing what he
had always done, seeking Goddaily in prayer.
Now there are three key truthsin this verse that we must take
to heart. First, Daniel prayedimmediately. It's the first
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thing he did after hearing thedecree was was to go to God in
prayer. He didn't try to solvethis problem on his own. He
didn't run to King Darius forhelp.
He and his first responsedefinitely was prayer. It was
his first response, not his lastresort. And second, Daniel
prayed continue, consconsistently. He didn't start
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praying just because of thecrisis. He had already been
praying.
His prayer life was built longbefore this moment. He was
prepared for battle because hehad spent years strengthening
his faith. Thirdly, Danielprayed openly. He didn't hide
his faith or change his routine.His windows were open towards
Jerusalem symbolizing hisdevotion to God's promises.
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His faith was public before thecrisis, and he refused to make
it private because of fear. Ifprayer is not your first
response in private, don'texpect to stand strong in
public. Too often, we turn toGod only when we have exhausted
every other option. We try tofix things ourselves but when it
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doesn't work we finally say allI can do now is just pray. But
Daniel's response teaches usthat prayer should never be our
last resort.
It should be our first line ofdefense. Instead of saying, all
we have left is prayer, weshould declare we have the
greatest weapon ever, and it'sprayer. Consider what happens
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when we make prayer our firstresponse into that panic. Prayer
aligns our hearts with God'swill. When we pray, we step out
of our own desires and fears andinto God's perfect plan.
Daniel didn't just pray forprotection, he gave thanks. Even
in crisis, he trusted that Godwas in control. Prayer does
brings, you know, supernaturalpeace. Instead of beer
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controlling our hearts, prayerfills us with the peace of God.
Philippians four six throughseven says, do not be anxious
about anything, but ineverything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving,let your request be made known
to God.
And the peace of God whichsurpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and your mindsin Christ Jesus. That's pretty
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powerful. Spiritual battles arenot won with physical weapons
with but with spiritualspiritual discipline. As I said
earlier, Ephesians six twelvereminds us that we fight against
powers and principalities ofdarkness. If we are not prepared
in prayer, we will fall inbattle.
Kneeling in prayer is what givesus the strength to stand. And a
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lot of people say, do you haveto kneel? I say this, if you're
sitting and you can't get onyour knees, prayer where you
can. I pray over my food, for ameal. I pray before bed, I can
lie down.
And if I'm having problemsgetting up, I pray at that
point. But whatever iscomfortable to you, kneeling is
the is basically what we what wedirect people to do. But if you
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can't, hey. Or if the situationdoesn't call for it, that's okay
too. So how did Daniel have thecourage to face the lion's den
now that we've come to hispunishment?
The answer is simple butpowerful. He had already built
his prayer life. Seriously, ithis entire life was all about
prayer. He didn't wait until thebattle began. He'd be he had his
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training for this moment hisentire life, but he didn't know
this was gonna happen until, youknow, until it happened.
But he had already been trainingin his prayer life for this
exact amount. He hadpredetermined commitment to God
that no crisis would shake. It'slike preparing for battle. You
may have everything at yourdisposal. You may have a general
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understanding, but again thespecifics aren't gonna happen,
you know, you're not gonna knowall the specifics but if you are
trained to do certain things ina certain manner, battle is
pretty much won.
So I'm gonna ask you this, Haveyou built a prayer life strong
enough to sustain you in acrisis? Have you predecided
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commit have you had a predecidedcommitment to stand strong no
matter the cost? Daniel didn'tneed to debate whether he would
pray. He had already made thatdecision long ago. If you don't
make a commitment to prayerbefore the crisis comes, you
will be unprepared when itarrives.
So Daniel had made his choice.He would not stop praying no
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matter the consequences. Hisenemy set their trap, and now
the decree was about to beenforced. As I said, we're
heading to the lion's den. Andat this moment, Daniel had no
guarantee that God would rescuehim from the lion's sin.
No guarantee. That's even today.There is no guarantee God's just
gonna jump in and save you. Andseriously, that guarantee didn't
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come in a divine memo saying,don't worry, Daniel. I'm sending
an angel to shut the lion'smouth.
He didn't receive a propheticdream of his miraculous escape.
He had no idea how this wouldend, but he trusted God anyway.
This is where faith is trulytested. Faith is not trusting
God only when the outcome isguaranteed. Faith is trusting
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God no matter the outcome.
Daniel's choice to remainfaithful was not based on what
God would do. It was based onwho God is. That's the kind of
faith we are called to havetoday. One of the biggest
struggles we face as believersis this, what if I do the right
thing and things still go wrong?What if I stand for my faith and
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I lose my job?
What if I remain pure in arelationship and I'm mocked for
it? What if I stay honest inbusiness and miss out on an
opportunity? What if I pray forhealing but healing doesn't
come? What if I trust God butlife still falls apart? These
are the realities of faith.
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God never promises to keep usfrom trials, but he does promise
to be with us through them. AsJesus said in John sixteen
thirty three, I have said thesethings to you that in me, you
may have peace. In the world,you will have tribulation. A
cart. I have overcome the world.
That's the most powerful part ofthat whole impassioned, but take
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heart. I have overcome theworld. And yet, in this whole
matter, Daniel was thrown intothe lion's den. The trial wasn't
avoided, but God was still incontrol. Daniel's lion's den was
literal.
A pit filled with hungry beastswaiting to devour him. Most of
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us won't face a literal den oflions, but make no mistake. We
face our own lions dens everyday. The lions den of rejection
where we stand for God and aremocked for it. The lions den of
financial hardship when we trustwhen we trust God with our
finances, but things seem to getworse.
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The lion's den of sickness andpain, when we pray for healing,
but we don't see an immediateeffect or even immediate relief.
The lion's den of loneliness,when we follow Christ, but it
costs us relationships. And thenthere's the lion's den of doubt
when we do what's right, but itseems like God is silent. You
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know, as gamers, our RPGMs, wealways enter dungeons that are
you know, can be very dangerousdepending on the DM. It's filled
with any stronger than us,obstacles meant to break us, and
bones that seem impossible todefeat.
And, again, like I say, this isespecially true if the DM is a
sadistic bastard, and I knowplenty of those guys. Sometimes
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we go in with a strategy, a planof attack, and sometimes we go
in knowing the odds are againstus. Sometimes we don't know if
we'll ever make it out alive,especially with the roll of the
dice sometimes. But what keepsus moving forward? It's the
faith what that we are notalone.
We have our team members in inin our RPG games. We have our
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companions in our digital games.And that's the trust that we
have because we are equipped forbattle, and it's the
determination to keep going evenwhen the outcome is very
uncertain. Daniel's lion's denwas his final boss battle if you
wanna put it in perspective. Buthe has spent his whole life
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preparing for this moment.
So we're gonna return to thestory of of Daniel, and let's
see how king Darius reacted toDaniel's trial. And we find this
in Daniel six sixteen througheight. Then the king commanded,
and Daniel was brought and castinto the den of lions. The king
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declared to Daniel, may yourgod, whom you serve continually,
deliver you. And a stone wasbrought and laid on the mouth of
the den, and the king sealed itwith his own signet and with the
signet of his lords that nothingmight have be changed concerning
Daniel.
Then the king went to his palaceand slept the night slept the
night fasting. No diversionswere brought to him as sleep
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bled from him. I want you tonotice something here, and it's
a major contrast between Danieland Darius. Let's look at
Daniel. Daniel is a faithfulservant of God.
He went into the lion's den inpeace. He trusted God's plan. He
had been faithful before thiscrisis, and he prayed first then
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took action. What about Darius?Yeah.
This guy's a worldly king. Whathappened? He stayed up all night
in fear. He hoped for a miracle,but wasn't sure. He had ignored
God until the crisis, and heacted first and then regretted
it.
This is the perfect picture ofthe difference between those who
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walk with God daily and thosewho only call on him in times of
trouble. So which one are you?Do you live in peace or panic?
Do you trust God's will or doyou try to fix things yourself?
Do you build your faith beforethe trial or do you wait until
trouble comes and start praying?
I want you to know something.Fixing things yourself without
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God doesn't really help you out.When you bring God in, it's just
basically a moment to say, okay.What am I missing? Am I missing
something, God?
And it gets your brain tothinking. God's gonna talk to
you and God's gonna help you orhe's gonna go, no. You're on the
right track. I don't need tostep in. But you'll never know
that unless you trust in God.
Darius couldn't sleep because hehad placed his hope in human
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power. Daniel said, please fleebecause he had placed his hope
in God's sovereignty. Whathappens next? Morning comes and
Darius rushes to the lion's den.Daniel six nineteen through 22.
Then at break of day, the kingarose and went in haste to the
den of lions. As he came near tothe den where Daniel was, he
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cried out in a tone of anguish.The king declared to Daniel, oh,
Daniel, servant of the livingGod, has your God whom you serve
continually been able to deliveryou from the lions? Then Daniel
said to the king, oh, king, liveforever. My god sent his angel
and shut the lion's mouths.
They have not harmed me becauseI was found blameless before
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him. And also before you, ohking, I have done no harm.
Daniel did the right thing andGod protected him. What if the
story had ended differently?What if the lions had devoured
Daniel?
Would God still be faithful?Yes. Would Daniel's life still
have mattered? Yes. Would hestill stand still have you know,
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would his stand still have beenworth it?
Yes. Because the victory isnever about whether we are
rescued. It's about whether weremain faithful. We see this in
the same fate of Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel
three eight seventeen, eighteen.I know we're going back a bit,
but it this whole you know, weskip this section, but it it
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really is in direct correlationto our story regarding Daniel.
So in Daniel three seventeen andeighteen, it says, if this be
so, our God whom we serve isable to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and hewill deliver us out of your
hand, o king. But if not, itwill be known to you, o king,
that we will not serve your godsor worship the golden image that
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you have set up. Think aboutthat. You know, this is the
faith we bust out. Even if thehealing doesn't come, we will
trust him.
Even if the job falls through,we trust God. Even if the
relationship ends, trust God.And even if the miracle doesn't
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happen, I will fully trust God.Because God's faithfulness is
not based on our circumstances,it's based on his character. As
we as as as I've told you, youknow, Daniel stood strong, and
in the end, God was glorified.
And in reading Daniel chaptersix twenty six and twenty seven,
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Darius says, I make a decreethat in all my royal dominion,
people are to tremble and fearbefore the God of Daniel, for he
is the living God enduringforever. His kingdom shall never
be destroyed and his dominionshall be to the end. He delivers
and rescues. He works signs andwonders in heaven and on earth.
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He who has saved Daniel from thepower of lions.
Daniel's faithfulness changed anempire. Think about how your
faithfulness can change yourlife. Seriously, your
faithfulness can change yourhome, your workplace, your
community, your world. Standstrong. Press God with the
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results, and no matter what,remain faithful.
Daniel's faithfulness didn'tjust save him. It changed the
heart of the a king andinfluenced the entire kingdom.
But let's not miss this keytruth here. Daniel didn't know
the outcome when he chose tostand strong. That's what makes
this real faith so powerful.
Faith is not about standingbecause you're certain you'll be
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rescued. It's about standingbecause you're certain of who
God is no matter the outcome. Weall face battles, and every
battle presents a choice. Do wetrust God or give into fear? Do
we hold our ground or compromisefor comfort?
Do we stay faithful even when itcosts us something? These
moments are not just stories inthe Bible. They are the same
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battles we fight today in ourjobs, schools, families,
friendships, and personalstruggles. And whether you're a
geek, gamer, or a normie, we allknow what it means to face a
difficult challenge, anoverwhelming enemy, or a moment
where everything seems stackedagainst us. As I said, Ephesians
12, six six twelve reminds us,where we do not wrestle against
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flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers overthis present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil inthe heavenly places.
Daniel's fight wasn't just abouta group of jealous officials.
It's part of a much biggerspiritual war. In the same way,
our struggles today aren't justabout that difficult boss at
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work, that friend who mocks yourfaith, that temptation that
keeps coming back, thatfinancial struggle, that anxiety
and doubt that whispers you'renot enough. These battles are
not physical. They arespiritual, and spiritual battles
require spiritual strength.
The world tells us to fight withanger, to attack those who
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oppose us, to compromise, toblend in, and avoid conflict, or
even to fear, to back down andstay quiet. But Daniel shows us
a better way. He didn't lash outat his enemies. He didn't
compromise his faith to staysafe. He didn't run away from
the fight.
He simply stood firm, trustingGod, and let God handle the
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battle. Now if you're everplaying an RPG or any story
driven game, you know therecomes a moment when you're
leveled up and but you're stillfeel unprepared. You fought
smaller battles, but now you'restanding before the final boss,
and you have to decide, do I goforward or do I turn back?
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That's exactly where Danielstood. The decree had been
signed.
The penalty was set. And now hehad a choice, step forward in
faith or retreat in fear. Whenwe face our own best battles in
life, the temptation is alwaysto back down, to avoid the hard
conversation because we'reafraid of losing a friendship.
Maybe to compromise ourintegrity because standing for
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truth would cost us something.To stay silent about our faith
because speaking up might invitecriticism.
I will tell you this. I have hadmany a times in my walk with
Christ and be and being a pastorthat it looked really good to
compromise my integrity becauseit would cost some friendships
that I've had ever sinceelementary school. And you know
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what? I never compromised. Thosepeople just walked away.
Out of my life, they're not partof it anymore. Am I sad about
that? Yeah. But that's just asmall part. God's bigger.
The world's bigger. My life isbigger than that those moments,
those people. I'll meet morefriends. I'll meet more family.
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I'll have more interactions withpeople out there.
But people know me by myintegrity, what I say I do. You
know? And the hardconversations. Did we avoid it?
Yeah.
We've avoided for the past fourseasons only because there
really is a way to approachthings. Now we're gonna have the
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hard conversation. We're gonnaget down to the degree and
especially when we get onto ournext season, season six. That's
gonna be the hard season becausewhile we are gonna be playing
games where we're just, youknow, you know, playing on, you
know, god mode and have allthese cheats, it's gonna be a
lesson on why we don't have godmode in our real lives. And then
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we're gonna talk about the bigdeep questions that we really
need to talk about.
So what do we do in a game whenthe final boss stands before us?
Well, guess what? We don't quit.We don't put down the
controller. We don't turn offthe game just because the fight
looks hard.
No. We step forward. We'rewielding everything we've
(31:33):
learned up to that point. Don'tmake sure our skill sets that
we've gained are set. Every statwe've built up is perfect, and
then we fight.
Daniel was ready for this momentbecause he had spent a lifetime
in prayer, faithfulness, andobedience. And when the time
came to stand, he stood strong,and God took care of the rest.
(31:56):
For us, standing strong isn'tjust about one big dramatic
moment. It's about the dailychoices we make. Standing strong
means choosing integrity in aworld that values shortcuts.
Loving people even when theymock your faith. Resisting
temptation when compromise seemseasier. Trusting God when life
(32:16):
doesn't go as planned. Andkeeping faith even when the
outcome is uncertain. It's aboutshowing up day after day and
saying, no matter what comes, Iwill remain faithful.
I will not compromise. I willnot run. I will trust my God.
Did Daniel stand really make adifference? Absolutely.
(32:39):
At the end of his trials, KingDarius issued a decree across
the entire Persian Empire.Daniel, again, Daniel six twenty
six twenty seven. I make adecree that in all my royal
dominion, people are to trembleand fear before the God of
Daniel and for and and he is theliving God enduring forever. His
kingdom shall be shall never bedestroyed and his dominion shall
(33:00):
be to the end. He delivers andrescues.
He works signs and wonders inheaven and on earth. He who
saved Daniel from the power ofthe lions. One man's
faithfulness turned the heart ofa king and influenced nation. I
know I've repeated this earlier,but it bears repeating
constantly because I want you tounderstand. One man's
(33:22):
faithfulness turned the heart ofa king and influence nation.
Your stand matters more than youthink. Your faith might change
somebody's life. Your integritymight inspire someone else to do
the same and your obediencemight lead to someone to might
lead someone to Christ. That'swhy I've repeated this section
twice. You don't have to see theresults to know that God is
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working through you.
You just have to trust himenough to keep standing. And
again, the question is, whatwill you do when the lion's den
comes for you? Will you runaway? Will you compromise? Will
you let fear keep you silent?
Will you stand strong? Trustingthat God is in control even when
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the outcome is uncertain.Because in the end, that's real.
Faith is. Faith is not knowingthe outcome.
It's trusting the one who holdsthe outcome. Daniel's story is a
call to action. It's a challengeto every believer. It's an
invitation to trust God fully nomatter what. So stand strong.
(34:26):
Hold fast to your faith, andnever stop believing because the
one who calls you is faithful.
Greater Guild Announcer (34:36):
Thank you for joining us today on the
greater guild loading screen. Wehope this message encouraged you
to stand strong in faith nomatter what challenges you face.
Remember, the battle isn't aboutwhether you win or lose. It's
about staying faithful to Godthrough it all. If this episode
spoke to you, be sure tosubscribe and share it with a
friend who needs encouragement.
(34:57):
And if you want to connect withour community of faith filled
geeks and gamers, follow usonline and join the
conversation. Until next time,keep the faith, stand strong,
and remember you never fightalone.
Welcome to the Greater Guild Loading
Screen, the podcast where faithmeets geek culture. Pastor
Brandon is your guide fortoday's journey into discovering
timeless truths in a way thatspeaks to geeks, gamers, and
everyone in between. In today'sepisode, we continue our stand
series with a powerful message,stand strong. What happens when
standing for truth leads toopposition? How do we hold fast
(00:26):
to our faith when the stakes arehigh?
Daniel faced his greatestchallenge when a decree forced
him to choose betweencompromising his faith or facing
the lion's den. He didn't have aguarantee of rescue, only a deep
trust in God, no matter theoutcome. Whether you're facing
your own lion's den at work, inrelationships, or even in your
personal faith journey, thisepisode will equip you to stand
(00:47):
firm and trust God even when thebattle seems impossible. So grab
your potions, equip your bestarmor, and get ready Because
today, we're learning what ittruly means to stand strong.
Pastor Brandon Holm (01:02):
Every Herio's journey leads to moments
of decision, times when theymust choose between courage and
compromise, truth and deception,fear and faith. The world is
full of trials that test ourresolve, moments that demand we
either take a stand or fade intothe shadows. Now throughout this
(01:24):
stand series, we've beenexploring what it means to be
people of faith in a world thatoften opposes the ways of God.
In our first message stand out,we saw how Daniel and his
friends chose to remain faithfulto God rather than conform to
the Babylonian culture. Theyrefused to eat the king's food
not because they wanted torebel, but because their
(01:44):
devotion to God came beforetheir comfort.
Last week we took it further instand up where we saw the power
of speaking out for truth. Weexplored the moment in Daniel
four when Daniel courageouslystood before King Nebuchadnezzar
and interpreted his dream whichwas very troubling. This was not
(02:06):
just any message. It was aprophetic warning that the king
would be humbled because of hispride. It was a high risk
moment, definitely.
Daniel could have softened thetruth, avoided the
confrontation, or chosen silenceto protect himself. But he stood
up and spoke boldly. And whatdid we learn from that? Well,
(02:28):
number one, speaking the truthtakes courage. You know, just
like Daniel, we are often calledto speak up when it would be
easier to just stay silent.
Number two, the truth must bespoken in love. Daniel didn't
deliver the message toNebuchadnezzar with arrogance,
but with humility and concern.And third, God is the one who
(02:49):
ultimately changes hearts. Theresults of our obedience are in
his hands, not ours. But takinga stand for truth is just the
beginning.
What happens when standing upleads to direct opposition? What
do we do when our faith ischallenged? When following God
puts us in direct conflict withthe world around us? That brings
(03:11):
us to this week's battle,standing strong in the face of
danger. In Daniel six, we moveforward to a new king and a new
test, but one that follows thesame pattern.
Daniel remains faithful,opposition arises, and God
reveals his power. If you arewalking faithfully with God,
(03:32):
expect to face trials. I do. Theforces of darkness do not bother
with those who are standingstill. The enemy will always try
to weaken those who are growingstronger.
Have you ever had a moment whereall of a sudden things are going
so great and all of a suddensomething bad happens? There you
are, and it's a test to see howwe react to that. So the
(03:52):
question is, will you stand firmeven when it could cost you
everything? So we've establishedthat standing for God means
standing against the flow of theworld. Daniel had already stood
out in Babylon, refusing tocompromise his faith.
He stood up speaking hard truthsto king. Now, he faces the
ultimate test, standing strongin the face of a direct attack
(04:17):
against his faith. At this pointin Daniel's life, things should
have been smooth sailing. He wasno longer a young exile trying
to prove himself in a foreignland. He had served faithfully
faithfully for decades, earningthe respect of kings and
influencing the greatest empirein the world.
(04:37):
But the truth is the higher Godraises you, the more visible you
become. The more visible youbecome, the more opposition will
come. Take a look at allcelebrities. Take a look at
people who are very popular onsocial media, influencers on you
on YouTube, Twitch influencers,you know, those people. But
(05:01):
Daniel's story in chapter sixtakes place under a new king,
King Darius.
Now at this point in time,Babylon has fallen, and now the
Medo Persian Empire is rulingthe land. When Darius took the
throne, he recognized Daniel'swisdom, leadership, and
integrity. Darius was known asan administrative genius. He
(05:23):
wasted no time in restructuringthe government, appointing a 20
and a 20, set traps, which wereknown which is the name for the
local regional governors tooversee different areas of the
empire. Just like we haveadministrative districts in our
own our own country here in TheUnited States known as states,
(05:45):
we have a governor and then, youknow, it breaks down from there.
Think about it that way. Overthese, he placed three high
officials and Daniel definitelywas one of them, but Daniel just
didn't do his job. He excelledat it. Now let's go ahead and
read into, let's see. Danielsix, three through four.
(06:12):
And it says, then this Danielbecame distinguished above all
other high officials and satrapsbecause an excellent spirit was
in him. And the king planned toset him above the whole kingdom.
Then the high officials, AnnaSetraps, sought to find a ground
(06:33):
for complaint against Danielwith regard to the kingdom, but
they could find no ground forcomplaint or any fault because
he was faithful, and no error orfault was found on him. Daniel's
exceptional qualities set himapart from every other leader in
the kingdom. His integrity madehim stand out in a corrupt
(06:55):
world, and the king took notice.
Darius saw something in Daniel,his faithfulness, wisdom, and
diligence, and decided topromote him even higher. But
what should have been a momentof victory became a target on
his back. The other officialsjealous and very power hungry
just like people at work, right,plotted against him. They wanted
(07:18):
to take him down. Now in thismoment, I want you to understand
the spiritual principle we'resetting up here.
When God raises you up,opposition will come. If you are
growing in faith, the enemy willtry to discourage you. If you
are leading others towards God,the enemy will try to stop you.
If you are being promoted byGod, expect resistance. I mean,
(07:41):
look at Daniel.
He had no corruption, so theycouldn't really attack his
character. He had no negligence,so these guys couldn't accuse
him of failing in his duties. Hewas trustworthy, so they
couldn't find a way to discredithim. So what did these guys do?
They attacked the one thing theyknew they could use against him,
(08:02):
his faith.
Look at what Daniel's enemy saidin Daniel six five. Then these
men said, we shall find we shallnot find any ground for
complaint against this Danielunless we find it in connection
with the law of his god. What atestament to Daniel's integrity
and faithfulness. They knewDaniel was so committed to God
(08:25):
that they could use his owndevotion against him. If someone
wanted to attack you, could theyuse your faith as the evidence
against you?
And we're seeing this now in TheUnited States as it is.
Christians are being the oneswho who are being attacked, yet
other groups are not. And yetwe're still holding on strong.
Would they know without a doubtthat you spend time with God?
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Would they be able to say, weknow this person prays every
day?
Would they be certain that yourloyalty to God is unshakable?
Daniel's life was so consistent,so faithful that even his
enemies knew where he stood.They crafted a law specifically
to trap him knowing he wouldnever compromise. And this is
where the real battle begins.See, Daniel could have
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compromised.
He could have hidden his faith,taken a temporary pause, or
found a way to avoid theconflict. But Daniel knew
something. The battle is neverjust about us. When you walk in
integrity, your life becomes awitness to the world. When you
stand strong in trials, peoplesee the faithfulness of God.
(09:32):
When you choose character overcompromise, your life becomes a
testimony to God's power. Thisis why the enemies fight against
those who stand for God. This iswhy Daniel's enemies targeted
him. This is why our battle isnot just against people, but
against spiritual forces of ourdarkness. For when for we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against
(09:55):
the authorities, against thecosmic powers over this present
darkness, against the spiritualforces of evil in the heavenly
places.
The battle lines had been drawn.Daniel's enemies had set a trap
knowing full well that hisfaithfulness to God would lead
him straight to it. The law wassigned. The punishment was
(10:16):
clear. Daniel had a choice,compromise or stand firm.
And this is the same choice thatevery follower of God faces in
times of crisis. When pressurerises, will we follow God or
follow the world? When trialscome, will we stand strong or
give in? When the enemy attacks,will we turn to God in prayer or
(10:37):
collapse in panic? Daniel'senemies expected him to panic,
compromise, or hide.
Instead, he did what he hadalways done. He knelt before God
and prayed. This is the definingmoment of faith. Our strength to
stand in public comes from ourdevotion in private. The
decision to stand strong is notmade in the moment of crisis.
(10:58):
It's made long before thethrough a life of devotion to
prayer. When trouble comes, theworld reacts in fear, anger, or
desperation. We've seen this,especially when we had the
crisis in 02/2008 financiallyand also the pandemic in 2020.
And look what happened. Some runaway and try to avoid the
(11:20):
problem.
Some fight back in their ownstrengths using manipulation or
control. And others just shutdown in despair, believing there
is no way out. The followers ofGod are called to a different
response. Instead of reacting tofear, we kneel in faith. Instead
of manipulating, we surrender toGod's power.
And instead of of shutting down,we press to into prayer. Daniel
(11:45):
could have panicked. He couldhave negotiated with the king,
found an excuse to pause hisprayers, or even prayed to in
secret to avoid detection. Butthis he refused. Why?
Because Daniel knew the truth.Battle is not won by human
strength, but through prayer. SoDaniel's first response is
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prayer, not panic. And let'sread Daniel six ten. When Daniel
knew that the document had beensigned, he went in he went to
his house where he had windowsin his upper chamber open
towards Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees threetimes a day and prayed and gave
thanks before his god as he haddone previously. See what
(12:28):
happens there? Daniel didn'tchange his routine. He didn't
panic, and he didn't hide. Hesimply continued doing what he
had always done, seeking Goddaily in prayer.
Now there are three key truthsin this verse that we must take
to heart. First, Daniel prayedimmediately. It's the first
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thing he did after hearing thedecree was was to go to God in
prayer. He didn't try to solvethis problem on his own. He
didn't run to King Darius forhelp.
He and his first responsedefinitely was prayer. It was
his first response, not his lastresort. And second, Daniel
prayed continue, consconsistently. He didn't start
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praying just because of thecrisis. He had already been
praying.
His prayer life was built longbefore this moment. He was
prepared for battle because hehad spent years strengthening
his faith. Thirdly, Danielprayed openly. He didn't hide
his faith or change his routine.His windows were open towards
Jerusalem symbolizing hisdevotion to God's promises.
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His faith was public before thecrisis, and he refused to make
it private because of fear. Ifprayer is not your first
response in private, don'texpect to stand strong in
public. Too often, we turn toGod only when we have exhausted
every other option. We try tofix things ourselves but when it
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doesn't work we finally say allI can do now is just pray. But
Daniel's response teaches usthat prayer should never be our
last resort.
It should be our first line ofdefense. Instead of saying, all
we have left is prayer, weshould declare we have the
greatest weapon ever, and it'sprayer. Consider what happens
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when we make prayer our firstresponse into that panic. Prayer
aligns our hearts with God'swill. When we pray, we step out
of our own desires and fears andinto God's perfect plan.
Daniel didn't just pray forprotection, he gave thanks. Even
in crisis, he trusted that Godwas in control. Prayer does
brings, you know, supernaturalpeace. Instead of beer
(14:38):
controlling our hearts, prayerfills us with the peace of God.
Philippians four six throughseven says, do not be anxious
about anything, but ineverything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving,let your request be made known
to God.
And the peace of God whichsurpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and your mindsin Christ Jesus. That's pretty
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powerful. Spiritual battles arenot won with physical weapons
with but with spiritualspiritual discipline. As I said
earlier, Ephesians six twelvereminds us that we fight against
powers and principalities ofdarkness. If we are not prepared
in prayer, we will fall inbattle.
Kneeling in prayer is what givesus the strength to stand. And a
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lot of people say, do you haveto kneel? I say this, if you're
sitting and you can't get onyour knees, prayer where you
can. I pray over my food, for ameal. I pray before bed, I can
lie down.
And if I'm having problemsgetting up, I pray at that
point. But whatever iscomfortable to you, kneeling is
the is basically what we what wedirect people to do. But if you
(15:50):
can't, hey. Or if the situationdoesn't call for it, that's okay
too. So how did Daniel have thecourage to face the lion's den
now that we've come to hispunishment?
The answer is simple butpowerful. He had already built
his prayer life. Seriously, ithis entire life was all about
prayer. He didn't wait until thebattle began. He'd be he had his
(16:10):
training for this moment hisentire life, but he didn't know
this was gonna happen until, youknow, until it happened.
But he had already been trainingin his prayer life for this
exact amount. He hadpredetermined commitment to God
that no crisis would shake. It'slike preparing for battle. You
may have everything at yourdisposal. You may have a general
(16:30):
understanding, but again thespecifics aren't gonna happen,
you know, you're not gonna knowall the specifics but if you are
trained to do certain things ina certain manner, battle is
pretty much won.
So I'm gonna ask you this, Haveyou built a prayer life strong
enough to sustain you in acrisis? Have you predecided
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commit have you had a predecidedcommitment to stand strong no
matter the cost? Daniel didn'tneed to debate whether he would
pray. He had already made thatdecision long ago. If you don't
make a commitment to prayerbefore the crisis comes, you
will be unprepared when itarrives.
So Daniel had made his choice.He would not stop praying no
(17:13):
matter the consequences. Hisenemy set their trap, and now
the decree was about to beenforced. As I said, we're
heading to the lion's den. Andat this moment, Daniel had no
guarantee that God would rescuehim from the lion's sin.
No guarantee. That's even today.There is no guarantee God's just
gonna jump in and save you. Andseriously, that guarantee didn't
(17:37):
come in a divine memo saying,don't worry, Daniel. I'm sending
an angel to shut the lion'smouth.
He didn't receive a propheticdream of his miraculous escape.
He had no idea how this wouldend, but he trusted God anyway.
This is where faith is trulytested. Faith is not trusting
God only when the outcome isguaranteed. Faith is trusting
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God no matter the outcome.
Daniel's choice to remainfaithful was not based on what
God would do. It was based onwho God is. That's the kind of
faith we are called to havetoday. One of the biggest
struggles we face as believersis this, what if I do the right
thing and things still go wrong?What if I stand for my faith and
(18:20):
I lose my job?
What if I remain pure in arelationship and I'm mocked for
it? What if I stay honest inbusiness and miss out on an
opportunity? What if I pray forhealing but healing doesn't
come? What if I trust God butlife still falls apart? These
are the realities of faith.
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God never promises to keep usfrom trials, but he does promise
to be with us through them. AsJesus said in John sixteen
thirty three, I have said thesethings to you that in me, you
may have peace. In the world,you will have tribulation. A
cart. I have overcome the world.
That's the most powerful part ofthat whole impassioned, but take
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heart. I have overcome theworld. And yet, in this whole
matter, Daniel was thrown intothe lion's den. The trial wasn't
avoided, but God was still incontrol. Daniel's lion's den was
literal.
A pit filled with hungry beastswaiting to devour him. Most of
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us won't face a literal den oflions, but make no mistake. We
face our own lions dens everyday. The lions den of rejection
where we stand for God and aremocked for it. The lions den of
financial hardship when we trustwhen we trust God with our
finances, but things seem to getworse.
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The lion's den of sickness andpain, when we pray for healing,
but we don't see an immediateeffect or even immediate relief.
The lion's den of loneliness,when we follow Christ, but it
costs us relationships. And thenthere's the lion's den of doubt
when we do what's right, but itseems like God is silent. You
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know, as gamers, our RPGMs, wealways enter dungeons that are
you know, can be very dangerousdepending on the DM. It's filled
with any stronger than us,obstacles meant to break us, and
bones that seem impossible todefeat.
And, again, like I say, this isespecially true if the DM is a
sadistic bastard, and I knowplenty of those guys. Sometimes
(20:32):
we go in with a strategy, a planof attack, and sometimes we go
in knowing the odds are againstus. Sometimes we don't know if
we'll ever make it out alive,especially with the roll of the
dice sometimes. But what keepsus moving forward? It's the
faith what that we are notalone.
We have our team members in inin our RPG games. We have our
(20:53):
companions in our digital games.And that's the trust that we
have because we are equipped forbattle, and it's the
determination to keep going evenwhen the outcome is very
uncertain. Daniel's lion's denwas his final boss battle if you
wanna put it in perspective. Buthe has spent his whole life
(21:15):
preparing for this moment.
So we're gonna return to thestory of of Daniel, and let's
see how king Darius reacted toDaniel's trial. And we find this
in Daniel six sixteen througheight. Then the king commanded,
and Daniel was brought and castinto the den of lions. The king
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declared to Daniel, may yourgod, whom you serve continually,
deliver you. And a stone wasbrought and laid on the mouth of
the den, and the king sealed itwith his own signet and with the
signet of his lords that nothingmight have be changed concerning
Daniel.
Then the king went to his palaceand slept the night slept the
night fasting. No diversionswere brought to him as sleep
(22:00):
bled from him. I want you tonotice something here, and it's
a major contrast between Danieland Darius. Let's look at
Daniel. Daniel is a faithfulservant of God.
He went into the lion's den inpeace. He trusted God's plan. He
had been faithful before thiscrisis, and he prayed first then
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took action. What about Darius?Yeah.
This guy's a worldly king. Whathappened? He stayed up all night
in fear. He hoped for a miracle,but wasn't sure. He had ignored
God until the crisis, and heacted first and then regretted
it.
This is the perfect picture ofthe difference between those who
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walk with God daily and thosewho only call on him in times of
trouble. So which one are you?Do you live in peace or panic?
Do you trust God's will or doyou try to fix things yourself?
Do you build your faith beforethe trial or do you wait until
trouble comes and start praying?
I want you to know something.Fixing things yourself without
(23:08):
God doesn't really help you out.When you bring God in, it's just
basically a moment to say, okay.What am I missing? Am I missing
something, God?
And it gets your brain tothinking. God's gonna talk to
you and God's gonna help you orhe's gonna go, no. You're on the
right track. I don't need tostep in. But you'll never know
that unless you trust in God.
Darius couldn't sleep because hehad placed his hope in human
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power. Daniel said, please fleebecause he had placed his hope
in God's sovereignty. Whathappens next? Morning comes and
Darius rushes to the lion's den.Daniel six nineteen through 22.
Then at break of day, the kingarose and went in haste to the
den of lions. As he came near tothe den where Daniel was, he
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cried out in a tone of anguish.The king declared to Daniel, oh,
Daniel, servant of the livingGod, has your God whom you serve
continually been able to deliveryou from the lions? Then Daniel
said to the king, oh, king, liveforever. My god sent his angel
and shut the lion's mouths.
They have not harmed me becauseI was found blameless before
(24:15):
him. And also before you, ohking, I have done no harm.
Daniel did the right thing andGod protected him. What if the
story had ended differently?What if the lions had devoured
Daniel?
Would God still be faithful?Yes. Would Daniel's life still
have mattered? Yes. Would hestill stand still have you know,
(24:42):
would his stand still have beenworth it?
Yes. Because the victory isnever about whether we are
rescued. It's about whether weremain faithful. We see this in
the same fate of Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel
three eight seventeen, eighteen.I know we're going back a bit,
but it this whole you know, weskip this section, but it it
(25:04):
really is in direct correlationto our story regarding Daniel.
So in Daniel three seventeen andeighteen, it says, if this be
so, our God whom we serve isable to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and hewill deliver us out of your
hand, o king. But if not, itwill be known to you, o king,
that we will not serve your godsor worship the golden image that
(25:26):
you have set up. Think aboutthat. You know, this is the
faith we bust out. Even if thehealing doesn't come, we will
trust him.
Even if the job falls through,we trust God. Even if the
relationship ends, trust God.And even if the miracle doesn't
(25:48):
happen, I will fully trust God.Because God's faithfulness is
not based on our circumstances,it's based on his character. As
we as as as I've told you, youknow, Daniel stood strong, and
in the end, God was glorified.
And in reading Daniel chaptersix twenty six and twenty seven,
(26:10):
Darius says, I make a decreethat in all my royal dominion,
people are to tremble and fearbefore the God of Daniel, for he
is the living God enduringforever. His kingdom shall never
be destroyed and his dominionshall be to the end. He delivers
and rescues. He works signs andwonders in heaven and on earth.
(26:34):
He who has saved Daniel from thepower of lions.
Daniel's faithfulness changed anempire. Think about how your
faithfulness can change yourlife. Seriously, your
faithfulness can change yourhome, your workplace, your
community, your world. Standstrong. Press God with the
(26:54):
results, and no matter what,remain faithful.
Daniel's faithfulness didn'tjust save him. It changed the
heart of the a king andinfluenced the entire kingdom.
But let's not miss this keytruth here. Daniel didn't know
the outcome when he chose tostand strong. That's what makes
this real faith so powerful.
Faith is not about standingbecause you're certain you'll be
(27:15):
rescued. It's about standingbecause you're certain of who
God is no matter the outcome. Weall face battles, and every
battle presents a choice. Do wetrust God or give into fear? Do
we hold our ground or compromisefor comfort?
Do we stay faithful even when itcosts us something? These
moments are not just stories inthe Bible. They are the same
(27:36):
battles we fight today in ourjobs, schools, families,
friendships, and personalstruggles. And whether you're a
geek, gamer, or a normie, we allknow what it means to face a
difficult challenge, anoverwhelming enemy, or a moment
where everything seems stackedagainst us. As I said, Ephesians
12, six six twelve reminds us,where we do not wrestle against
(28:01):
flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers overthis present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil inthe heavenly places.
Daniel's fight wasn't just abouta group of jealous officials.
It's part of a much biggerspiritual war. In the same way,
our struggles today aren't justabout that difficult boss at
(28:23):
work, that friend who mocks yourfaith, that temptation that
keeps coming back, thatfinancial struggle, that anxiety
and doubt that whispers you'renot enough. These battles are
not physical. They arespiritual, and spiritual battles
require spiritual strength.
The world tells us to fight withanger, to attack those who
(28:44):
oppose us, to compromise, toblend in, and avoid conflict, or
even to fear, to back down andstay quiet. But Daniel shows us
a better way. He didn't lash outat his enemies. He didn't
compromise his faith to staysafe. He didn't run away from
the fight.
He simply stood firm, trustingGod, and let God handle the
(29:05):
battle. Now if you're everplaying an RPG or any story
driven game, you know therecomes a moment when you're
leveled up and but you're stillfeel unprepared. You fought
smaller battles, but now you'restanding before the final boss,
and you have to decide, do I goforward or do I turn back?
(29:26):
That's exactly where Danielstood. The decree had been
signed.
The penalty was set. And now hehad a choice, step forward in
faith or retreat in fear. Whenwe face our own best battles in
life, the temptation is alwaysto back down, to avoid the hard
conversation because we'reafraid of losing a friendship.
Maybe to compromise ourintegrity because standing for
(29:47):
truth would cost us something.To stay silent about our faith
because speaking up might invitecriticism.
I will tell you this. I have hadmany a times in my walk with
Christ and be and being a pastorthat it looked really good to
compromise my integrity becauseit would cost some friendships
that I've had ever sinceelementary school. And you know
(30:11):
what? I never compromised. Thosepeople just walked away.
Out of my life, they're not partof it anymore. Am I sad about
that? Yeah. But that's just asmall part. God's bigger.
The world's bigger. My life isbigger than that those moments,
those people. I'll meet morefriends. I'll meet more family.
(30:32):
I'll have more interactions withpeople out there.
But people know me by myintegrity, what I say I do. You
know? And the hardconversations. Did we avoid it?
Yeah.
We've avoided for the past fourseasons only because there
really is a way to approachthings. Now we're gonna have the
(30:52):
hard conversation. We're gonnaget down to the degree and
especially when we get onto ournext season, season six. That's
gonna be the hard season becausewhile we are gonna be playing
games where we're just, youknow, you know, playing on, you
know, god mode and have allthese cheats, it's gonna be a
lesson on why we don't have godmode in our real lives. And then
(31:13):
we're gonna talk about the bigdeep questions that we really
need to talk about.
So what do we do in a game whenthe final boss stands before us?
Well, guess what? We don't quit.We don't put down the
controller. We don't turn offthe game just because the fight
looks hard.
No. We step forward. We'rewielding everything we've
(31:33):
learned up to that point. Don'tmake sure our skill sets that
we've gained are set. Every statwe've built up is perfect, and
then we fight.
Daniel was ready for this momentbecause he had spent a lifetime
in prayer, faithfulness, andobedience. And when the time
came to stand, he stood strong,and God took care of the rest.
(31:56):
For us, standing strong isn'tjust about one big dramatic
moment. It's about the dailychoices we make. Standing strong
means choosing integrity in aworld that values shortcuts.
Loving people even when theymock your faith. Resisting
temptation when compromise seemseasier. Trusting God when life
(32:16):
doesn't go as planned. Andkeeping faith even when the
outcome is uncertain. It's aboutshowing up day after day and
saying, no matter what comes, Iwill remain faithful.
I will not compromise. I willnot run. I will trust my God.
Did Daniel stand really make adifference? Absolutely.
(32:39):
At the end of his trials, KingDarius issued a decree across
the entire Persian Empire.Daniel, again, Daniel six twenty
six twenty seven. I make adecree that in all my royal
dominion, people are to trembleand fear before the God of
Daniel and for and and he is theliving God enduring forever. His
kingdom shall be shall never bedestroyed and his dominion shall
(33:00):
be to the end. He delivers andrescues.
He works signs and wonders inheaven and on earth. He who
saved Daniel from the power ofthe lions. One man's
faithfulness turned the heart ofa king and influenced nation. I
know I've repeated this earlier,but it bears repeating
constantly because I want you tounderstand. One man's
(33:22):
faithfulness turned the heart ofa king and influence nation.
Your stand matters more than youthink. Your faith might change
somebody's life. Your integritymight inspire someone else to do
the same and your obediencemight lead to someone to might
lead someone to Christ. That'swhy I've repeated this section
twice. You don't have to see theresults to know that God is
(33:43):
working through you.
You just have to trust himenough to keep standing. And
again, the question is, whatwill you do when the lion's den
comes for you? Will you runaway? Will you compromise? Will
you let fear keep you silent?
Will you stand strong? Trustingthat God is in control even when
(34:04):
the outcome is uncertain.Because in the end, that's real.
Faith is. Faith is not knowingthe outcome.
It's trusting the one who holdsthe outcome. Daniel's story is a
call to action. It's a challengeto every believer. It's an
invitation to trust God fully nomatter what. So stand strong.
(34:26):
Hold fast to your faith, andnever stop believing because the
one who calls you is faithful.
Greater Guild Announcer (34:36):
Thank you for joining us today on the
greater guild loading screen. Wehope this message encouraged you
to stand strong in faith nomatter what challenges you face.
Remember, the battle isn't aboutwhether you win or lose. It's
about staying faithful to Godthrough it all. If this episode
spoke to you, be sure tosubscribe and share it with a
friend who needs encouragement.
(34:57):
And if you want to connect withour community of faith filled
geeks and gamers, follow usonline and join the
conversation. Until next time,keep the faith, stand strong,
and remember you never fightalone.
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