Daniel is the story of how to thrive in a culture that is opposed to the way of Jesus. In spite of the fact that much of our culture is spiritually dark, God still reigns, and his Kingdom will rule forever. He is working through every circumstance for his glory. This gives us courage to stand up and follow him in a way that illuminates the darkness around us. Daniel shows us how a Christian is neither to accept nor reject the culture, but to seek to redeem it. This series is about how to survive and thrive in a spiritually pluralistic culture.

Daniel was kidnapped and forced to adapt to the pagan culture, a culture with which he did not share many values. Yet Daniel lived and served with such distinction that he stood out and received promotions. And this allowed Daniel to become a person of extraordinary influence. He accomplished this be neither assimilating into the culture, nor rejecting it, but by living distinctly within it so he could redeem it. When the world is at its darkest, the light of Christ can shine the most brightly.

Daniel was in a hopeless situation. He was about to be executed because of an insecure totalitarian king. Yet, Daniel didn’t let his circumstances change him. Instead of spending time and energy reacting with anger, fear, and insecurity, Daniel responded with humility. He invited God into the situation and was able to see how God’s kingdom was moving forward, even in the life of his oppressor. It was through humility that Daniel became an instrument of God to change history. And today, we have the opportunity to advance God's kingdom when we choose to be humble.

How can a Christian walk through trials without losing faith in God? In this story we see that God not only refines our character through suffering. More importantly, we see that God walks with us through the furnace. Since Jesus suffered the ultimate furnace, we can suffer our temporarily furnaces. Jesus is bigger than anything life can give. He is better than anything death can take.

We’ve all heard it said that pride goes before a fall. But few people believe it. Why? Because the very nature of pride blinds us to its presence. Pride is the elevation of ourselves to the position God deserves in our hearts. God always brings down the proud. It is only a question of when. In this message, we’ll talk about how to recognize and get rid of pride the easy way, before consequence get rid of pride the hard way

We’ve all heard it said that pride goes before a fall. But few people believe it. Why? Because the very nature of pride blinds us to its presence. Pride is the elevation of ourselves to the position God deserves in our hearts. God always brings down the proud. It is only a question of when. In this message, we’ll talk about how to recognize and get rid of pride the easy way, before consequence get rid of pride the hard way

We all can aspire to do the right thing. We can swim with the correct currents and follow our principles when necessary… For a while. But what happens when we run into another problematic workplace? Another crisis of conscience? Another choice? Another current to go with or swim against? What happens when our desire to do right runs out?  In Daniel 6, we get a glimpse of what allows Daniel to persevere as he continues to live distinctly. And we learn what it takes for us to do the same.

We will see Daniel’s courage’s final source as we wrap up the series. It was in the future. Daniel had a vision for his future (literally). The God who rules over the world will come to rule in the world. And knowing how the story ends in the future gave him the confidence to follow and obey him today.