“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm” (Daniel 6:3)
I live in Nigeria since 1980. Recently, I’ve been saddened at the many examples of un-confessed sins and hardened hearts, found among the leaders in the church and in the government. I know that in Nigeria many Christians are backsliding. It is epidemic! But that is not an excuse for us the remnant, to backslide with them. What is the solution to stop this evil ‘virus’ of ungodliness in the land? Of course it is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in action! According to the Word of God, this is teh prescription: To be able to stand against the evil flood, we the true believers, need to pay the price to attain an ‘excellent spirit’ like Daniel of old. Then we shall intercede and God will heal the land!
In Daniel Chapter 6 we see the old prophet passing thru the fires of testing on the road to promotion and prosperity. He is about 90 years old when he was thrown into the den of lions. This is his most difficult trial so far. Because Daniel was a faithful servant, the king was planning to promote him. But the enemies became jealous and wanted him dead. We are told that the secret of his success was ‘an excellent spirit’. This describes as abundant fruit of the Holy Spirit, a mature spiritual wisdom and understanding of the ways of God! To be excellent it means to have the highest quality of character; it means to go above the limit of previous achievements; it means to be superior to all others in a race. It means to be the Champion of the champions!
Daniel was promoted under three different wicked and corrupted kings. The secret of his extraordinary life was that he cultivated an ‘excellent spirit’. Nobody is born with an excellent spirit. You must be born again and you must be Spirit filled before you can start the journey of acquiring this ‘excellent spirit’. There is a great price to pay. But the reward is above all dreams! An excellent spirit will set you ‘above presidents and princes’. You do not need to enter politics to be promoted above all these big men. Genuine promotion is God’s work! But be careful, an excellent spirit does not happen in one day. Impatient men refuse to pay the price. That is why, loving power, they become corrupt. This excellent spirit will not always make you famous. King Belshazzar needed a wise man with an excellent spirit but he did not know that Daniel was living close by. For a long time you may live in obscurity but eventually, this spirit will shine to the glory of God! To have such a spirit you need to desire it above all material things. You must hate sin with a passion. You must reject empty religion, lies, hypocrisy, pornography, corruption, stealing, vulgar language, lust, love of money and many other sins. You must desire purity of the body and the spirit. Above all, you must be jealous for the name and the glory of Jesus!
You can see the intimate relationship between God and His faithful servant, Daniel. He could boast that ‘God Almighty is my God’. Can you really say that God is your God? If you pass the test of hungry lions, then you are set for divine promotion. Many say about life: it is not a do or die affair. But if you desire an excellent spirit, then you may have to say that your Christian life is ‘a do or die affair’. Queen Esther said: ‘I will go and see the King! And if I perish, I perish’. This is the road to the excellency of knowing Jesus as Lord!
Dear child of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, be encouraged today! God is still God! He rewards faith, purity, faithfulness and holiness! If you go back to the Bible, you will be surprised again at how good and powerful God is! I pray for the prodigals to come home! Dear child of God, start the journey to pay the price and develop an excellent spirit! Jesus is your Savior and your Lord! Let every man be a liar, God is forever true! God is longing right now to bless you, in your body, soul, spirit, marriage, children, family, finances, ministry and business! I pray for my adoptive country Nigeria! I have not lost hope on behalf of this land! God loves Nigeria! I am a witness! Jesus Christ is Lord!
Green Pastures 