We all have decisions to make in our lives. The greatest decision that one can make is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. And the next great decision is to commit our lives to serving Him. Too many today want Jesus as Savior but not as Lord of their lives. Salvation and the Lordship of Jesus are not a “cafeteria line” where we can pick and choose what we want. Salvation and the Lordship of Jesus go together. If you’re not willing to make Him Lord, you’re probably not willing to truly take Him as Savior. The key to this entire message is in Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel PURPOSED IN HIS HEART that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel made a decision. He determined. He “purposed in his heart” not to defile himself with the world. It was a decision to be faithful to his God, and that decision brought great blessing and great trial to Daniel. Note where Daniel was. He was in Babylonian captivity. He was a stranger in a strange land. A child/a servant of the Most High God in a land of idol worshippers. Notice what the Babylonians did. They tried to make a Babylonian out of this Hebrew - vs. 5. They changed his name -- from Daniel, with an “el” (God) to Belteshazzar, with a “Bel” (Baal) - vs. 7. However, it did not stick because Daniel knew who and what he was. The world, the flesh, and the devil would love to make a worldling out of every child of God. Remember Whose you are, who you are, and what you are! Daniel faced three tests as he faithfully served the Lord, and we’re going to see how this one act of purposing in his heart not to defile himself brought blessing to Daniel and glory to God.

I. FIRST TEST -- THE TABLE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR.

II. SECOND TEST: THE FEAST OF BELSHAZZAR.

III. THIRD TEST: THE DECREE OF DARIUS.