The walk with God is a call for us to be separated from the world and lust thereof. We are called to love God with all our hearts and to go and bear fruit. This call for separation is by divine appointment by God Himself. Remember the bible says in John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
I will use the biblical story of Daniel to tell you about how you can be separated from God. We live in times where there are a lot of distractions and we have a lot of independence to make decisions on our own, without any consultation with parents or society especially when you are in your adulthood ( above 18 ).
Daniel Chapter 1 talks about how King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. He took the people of Israel as captives and took some of the vessels that belonged to the house of God. The King later instructed that some of the nobles of the captives who were taken must be trained and taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans in order for them to serve him as the King in his palace. Amongst those selected were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. King Nebuchadnezzar made sure they were well fed daily from His own delicacies and of the wine which he the King drank. Although this would have been freedom for Daniel to enjoy himself and his newfound freedom. He instead decided not to defile himself.
In Daniel Chapter 1 verse 8 the bible says But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. The one thing that you must do when you want to be separated from God as Danield did, is that you have to make a decision in your heart that no matter the circumstance you will be accountable to God and you will not defile yourself. Today we live alone in our homes and we term it as the freedom to drink alcohol, experiment with drugs and engage ourselves in all kinds of activities forgetting that it is actually the best time to remain close to God and not to defile ourselves. The fact that food and drinks were available to Daniel did not cause him to defile himself instead he instead upheld the standards of God. Most of us see our independence and freedom as young adults as an opportunity to be adventurous but instead, we should use it as an opportunity to get to know God more. We have to live a life knowing we are accountable to God in heaven for He sees all things. In Hebrews 4:13 the bible says that ”And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. “ The fact that we are hiding does not mean we must do evil things instead we must live a life that will please God. I know you might say it is very difficult to stay righteous or holy in this dispensation but remember that Jesus is there to strengthen and help you. The Bible says in Philippians 4:13 we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Another important thing about being separated from God is to find yourself in the company of people who love God, and His commandments ( Exodus 20 ) and want to know more about God. Daniel was in the company of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Once Daniel decided he wasn’t going to defile himself, the other 3 friends joined him in upholding the standards of God. A lot of the time we find ourselves in the wrong company or even in the company of people who only profess with their mouths they love God but their actions prove otherwise. The three friends joined Daniel when he decided to eat vegetables instead of the wine and King’s delicacies. It was no longer just their mouths but their actions proved they really love God and did not defile themselves ( Daniel 1:11-15.)
The Bible says that there are even more rewards when we do good things in hiding so let us be encouraged and do things that will please God even more when we are not in the sight of men. In Matthew 6:18 the bible says that “So that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” After Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego decided not to defile themselves God rewarded them with gifts in verse 17 “ As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. “
Finally to be separated from God is to rely on God. God in His own mercy will orchestrate situations and send you help in order for you not to defile yourself. The Bible says in Daniel chapter 1 verse 9 that God had brought Daniel into the favour and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. This favour allowed the Eunuch to give in to Daniel’s request although it could have been detrimental for the Eunuch if the King found out what He had done. God knows your weakness, remember He is your father and He will not allow for you to fall if you lean on Him.
God bless you so much. I will be sharing more about being separated from God in the coming weeks. I will be talking about how the 12 disciples and Moses etc were separated and used heavily by God.
What temptations have you also gone through? Share with me in the comment section.
