The Daniel DilemmaSample

Pride is a “gateway” sin that offers an open doorway for our Enemy to drop in and tell us just how great we are and how we really don’t need God. It whispers, “Religion is just a crutch for all those weak people! You’re strong; you’re better than that. You’re in control of your life.” These lies embolden us to question God and to start thinking he doesn’t know what he’s doing. To start believing we know more than God knows.

But you and I know that’s not true. God’s Word could not be clearer about the magnificence, power, and holiness of God—or about the sinfulness, weaknesses, and limitations of humanity. Pride is a massive problem that usually creates a chain reaction of massive consequences. This is why the issue of pride appears again and again in the prophetic books of the Bible. It leads to so many other sinful choices and actions.

Prophetic warnings in Scripture are there to get us to turn away from our sin and to return to God. They are also there to point out the consequences if we don’t make a U-turn in our hearts and repent. The book of Daniel places such a warning front and center throughout the entire story, asking us to consider how to live a godly life in an ungodly age.

Daniel wrote not only to share his experiences and God’s faithfulness in Babylon but also to inform, encourage, and warn other believers in the end times. Covering almost seventy-five years of Daniel’s life, this book bearing his name is more relevant to us today than ever before. As we watch our culture disintegrate into moral chaos and heart-wrenching violence, Daniel’s warning to us echoes throughout our daily headlines.

And it’s only growing louder.