A CONSECRATED LIFE [Daniel 1]

“So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.”
Daniel 1:11,12 (NKJV)

• If you walked closely with God, He will give you specifications of food to eat.

He will teach you about food nutrition.
BALANCE DIET is Good, albeit, perfect diet is the best.
Food eaten in the king’s palace supposed to be the best due to the fact that everything in the palace is in excess;
AND with the advice of the food nutritionists who Serve the King, they should have the best.
In other words, best are eaten in the Presidential palaces and could be imagined to be a healthy and balanced DIET.
If someone walks intimately with God, He would be interested in everything about the person’s LIFE—including what the person eats, wears or puts on, and every other area of his or her Life.
For the love that God has for the Israelites, and has adopted them as his people, He gave them specifications on how to live their lives generally: the food to eat, clothes to wear, how to build their houses, and how to plant their farms, or whatever (Leviticus 11:1-9).

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth:
‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat” Leviticus 11:2,9 (NKJV)

• Although, in our contemporary time, at this dispensation of grace, Jesus Christ has made all things which God created, clean: "3 ... and commanding to abstain from FOODS WHICH GOD CREATED TO BE RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING BY THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND KNOW THE TRUTH. 4 FOR EVERY CREATURE OF GOD IS GOOD, AND NOTHING IS TO BE REFUSED IF IT IS RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING; 5 for it is SANCTIFIED by the WORD OF GOD and PRAYER" (1 Timothy 4:3-5).

However, we should do whatever we do, including eating, to the glory of God: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, OR WHATEVER YOU DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The point I am making is that you should not defile yourself either with food, sex, or whatever; YOU should keep yourself PURE, if you want to keep your fellowship and relationship with God intact (Hebrews 12:16).
You must be determined and resolute to live pure and clean.
THE avenue to defile yourself would always be created by the devil.
IN FACT, sin has been made cheap Now, especially the sin of sexual immorality.
IT take determination and consecration to live your Life for God in this perverse generation.
God knows those who are His; and everyone who is identified with Christ should depart from Sin (2 Timothy 2:19).
You cannot continue in Sin and expect the grace of God abound in your life, No, it is not possible (Romans 6:1).
Grace of God can only abound, increase in your Life, if you live a righteous Life—you live in Holiness: "15 but as He who called you is holy, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT, 16 because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY" (1 Peter 1:15,16).
God is holy, He could not behold sin.
GOD detests SIN and whoever lives in sin is separated from Him.
How can you claim you are God’s servant, His Minister, yet, you live in Sin.
IT means you are not real OR genuine, you do not know Him, because if you do, you will keep yourself.

“WHOEVER ABIDES IN HIM DOES NOT SIN. WHOEVER SINS HAS NEITHER SEEN HIM NOR KNOWN HIM.
Little children, let no one deceive you. HE WHO PRACTICES RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS, JUST AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS.
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, FOR HIS SEED REMAINS IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT SIN, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD."
1 John 3:6-9 (NKJV)

• The fact that you are committing SIN habitually, LIVE in SIN without any remorse, shows that the seed of God is not in you.
IF you actually belong to God and your heart is circumcised, you will lose your peace whenever you put your hand in any sinful act.

How can you engage in A sinful act and still have the boldness and confidence to stand before the people to minister—preach or teach;
IT means your conscience has been seared with a hot iron—Sin.
Some people’s conscience has become calloused, hardened, and seared with Sin: “NOW THE SPIRIT EXPRESSLY SAYS THAT IN LATTER TIMES SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, HAVING THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH A HOT IRON" (1 Timothy 4:1,2).
They have been wallowing in SIN to the point that they do not have any remorse again whenever they committed a sin—and it has become part of their lives.
If you are living in sin and it seems your heart does not prick you any longer whenever you engage in it—then you should take Notice of it, you are heading towards destruction.

• Truth: God’s silence is not a weakness, it only means He is giving you time to change: "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, NOT KNOWING THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE?" (Romans 2:4).
NOTE: if you failed to change, and the period of Grace elapses; the next thing is judgement: "BUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR HARDNESS AND YOUR IMPENITENT HEART YOU ARE TREASURING UP FOR YOURSELF WRATH IN THE DAY OF WRATH AND REVELATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD" (Romans 2:5).

If you are committing A sin, that is, you are living in Sin, but you are smart and clever in covering It;
AND It seems God does not say anything about it—it means danger is ahead, God's judgement is looming.
If God corrected you whenever you committed A sin, He chastises you at every disobedience, derailment, erring, it means He LOVES you dearly (Hebrews 12:5,6).
HOWEVER, if you LIVE in Sin and it SEEMS God does not say anything about it and you keep on with your Life without any discipline, it means His love for you is little or none.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, DO NOT DESPISE THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
BUT IF YOU ARE WITHOUT CHASTENING, OF WHICH ALL HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS, THEN YOU ARE ILLEGITIMATE AND NOT SONS.” Hebrews 12:5-8 (NKJV)

• If you claimed to be Christian, a minister of God for that matter, yet you do not receive God’s discipline every now and then, it means there is no cordiality between you and Him.

If God actually loves you dearly enough, you hardly live for a couple of days without reproof from Him.
YOUR level of love for the truth, righteousness, and submission determines His closeness and intimacy with you.
DO you receive correction from Him at all?

When last did God correct you?
When last did He chastise you?

If it has been long or you have never received correction, discipline or chastisement, from Him before, or you do not even know God does chastise His loving children or servants, it means you are far away from Him (Hebrews 12:6).
IT means your relationship with Him is shallow.
GOD disciplines, chastises, flogs, canes every disobedient, and erring child of His, whom He loves.

• To build relationship with God:

Repent and forsake the sin you are committing.
Spend more time in the Word of God—the Bible and prayer.
Do not read or study the Bible in order to know what to preach, BUT do study that you may practice and apply, what you have studied, into your Life.
Pray more in the language of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:2; Jude 20).
Pray the Pauline prayers recorded in the Book of Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 15-23.
Read the books of proven authors that could stir your desire to know God the more.
Attend leadership seminars, and conferences organized by season Ministers—credible and proven Men and women of God.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!