A Matter of Priority

Setting priorities is a question of making up your mind. When our top priority is to serve God first and foremost, then our decisions flow from that commitment.

What will that look like? It will look like holiness. In the bible Daniel jeopardized his career by refusing to eat food offered to him by the king because he had "made up his mind not to defile himself by eating food and wine given to them by the king" (Daniel 1:8). Daniel made one of his top priorities not to defile himself. Can you say the same?

If we claim that God has our heart and that takes priority over all other allegiances on earth, can we say that we've made up our mind not to defile ourself?

Daniel stuck to his priorities, and God stuck to Daniel, making him an indispensable servant to the king and a great role model for each of us.

Praying When It's Difficult

How many times a day should we pray?

Some say it doesn't matter, others say three times a day - this may be based on Daniel who "prayed three times a days, just as he had always done" (Daniel 6:10). But ultimately it really is up to us each as individuals how often we pray each day. The important thing is that we pray regularly, no matter what.

Daniel when threatened with death must have been tempted to not to pray at all, but because his habit was to pray three times every day, that we exactly what he continued to do. If praying was made a criminal offence, how many times a day would you pray?

How important to you is your prayer life? It should be very important. We live in a world that is predominantly hostile to God, so it goes without saying that we are likely to face difficult times in our faith. But prayer is what allows us to spend time with God, and helps us to grow in our trust of God, as well as helping others as well.

Can we be like Daniel and pray three times a day no matter what we face? Do we with as much diligence and determination as Daniel did?

Why not start today - pray three times every day from now on. Who knows who will be touched by your prayer life!