Dare to be a Daniel?

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself..." (Daniel 1:8)

This verse caught my attention as I was reading Daniel chapter 1 this morning. As I read, I was thinking about what kind of man Daniel was. He was a man of purpose and discipline. He was steadfast. Set-apart. His desire was the please the Lord and Him alone.. When Daniel "purposed in his heart," it was not a spur of the moment thing. Driven by his passion for the Lord, Daniel made the decision in his heart . Why? He knew he belonged to the Lord and was not his own. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in You...and you are not your own?" (1 Cor. 6:19) Daniel refused to defile himself by eating the king's delicasies. Now, he could have just gone along with it since he *was* working for the king. He could have made excuses in his mind to validate eating what was put before him. But NO! He didn't. What would we have done in that same situation? This lesson reaches far beyond food and what we eat. It's about every part of us! Our heart, our mind. "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 6:20) The nugget I gained from Daniel today was not so much about food (although that's part of it), but the fact that Daniel refused to fill himself with junk. I desire to be like Daniel in this!! I want to purpose in my heart not to take junk into my heart and mind. It's hard to even make it through one day without being offered some kind of junk. It's everywhere! That's why we have to purpose in our hearts, just as Daniel did, that we are not going to take part in it. The world disguises the junk as "delicasies," but it's a lie. What movies do we watch? What music do we listen to? What are we filling His temple with??? Remember that what we take in is going to be what comes out. Ohh that we would fill our hearts and minds with the precious Word of God! He promises to fill us, but He can't do it if we're filling ourselves with junk. "I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." (Psalm 81:10) Set yourself apart for Him. Purpose in your heart! Dare to be a Daniel, and say "NO!" to the junk!
"Who may ascend the hill of the LORD, or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4)

Oh, and here's a little song by Mrs. Judy Stiles... it's a good reminder to consider what we're taking in:

"Who are you listening to? Who has your ear?
Whoever's tune that you're dancin' to is gonna stamp his image on you,
ohh Who do you daydream about? Who do you think is cool?
You'll see it in the mirror in the morning, whoever you're listenin' to."