Owned By No Man; Part 2 (Our Why Cancel Culture Will Fail)

Feb. 16

Read: Daniel 6

Owned By No Man; Part 2

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously…” (v.10)

The people of God cannot let their fear of rejection, retaliation, or “being canceled” rob them of their life giving habits of faith. There will always be a “threat” of some sort. People in power are afraid of those who are anchored and secure in their faith. John 3 tells us that when Jesus - “the light” - came into the world, that many HATED the light and loved the darkness. (cf. John 3:19-) Whenever the light of Christ shines through us, we should expect some resistance.

The prefects, satraps, and other leaders came to complain about Daniel because they were JEALOUS. People in power are actually JEALOUS of those people who are content, walking with the Lord, and flourishing in using their gifts. It may be hard for some of you to believe that people in positions of power might actually want to DESTROY other people. It may be hard for you to grasp that a king would make a decision that not even HE really wanted for the sake of saving face in front of other leaders. Do you think that it is any different today? Do you really think that a human president or prime minister today is anymore immune to these trappings than a king thousands of years ago? Who knows what sort of conversations take place between the jealous and conniving “satraps and prefects” of the day regarding the people of God now. The last thing these types of people want is for the people of God to flourish… it is the opposite… they want us destroyed.

Daniel waited in until the decree was signed. Like a boss, he was seeking to prove a point. Once the ink was dry on the kings decree… he went to pray in front of the open windows of his home. Daniel was NOT scared or ashamed. It is worth noting that Daniel did “as he had done previously”. He was not trying to invent someway to aggravate these men. Daniel was simply seeking the Lord using the habits he always had, but doing so in a way that was observable to others.

Is there any part of our relationship with Christ that is observable to others? Would you be able to be identified as a Christian out “in the wild”. God is not asking us to invent new ways to push the buttons of our oppressors. God is asking us to trust him and pursue him without fearing the evil men around us. Take note of Jesus’ words: “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28) There is no freedom or life in being held captive by “cancel culture” or the “woke brigade”. What do we need to do when faced with this? We need to “look for open windows”. We need to be willing to allow others to see into our lives, and observe our relationship with the Lord. We have to trust that God’s will / plan will always prevail. We have to trust that the Lord is with us! Self preservation is not our highest priority… the Glory of God is!

God protects Daniel from the “cancel culture” of the day. He sends an angel to hold the lion’s mouth’s shut. The king regretted being swayed and signing the decree, but there was nothing he could do. Sometimes leaders don’t fully grasp the mess they are making with their “decrees”. Even when they see how bad the plan is, they will allow it to go through to save face. The king stayed up all night worried about Daniel. (v.16-23) Look at the fate of the “accusers” in this story; they are destroyed in the lion’s den. The very methods they sought to destroy Daniel with were turned on them eventually. This is the fate of the “cancel culture” anyways. It will be devoured… swallowed up. It will “eat itself” eventually. God CANNOT be “canceled” and neither can his people! Look for those “open windows”. Take courage. Do not be dismayed. You belong to the Lord - not to anyone else - and he will protect you and send his angels to attend to you. Protection will come through supernatural pathways (like angels holding mouths) not through the natural ways you would expect. Remember that! Love you guys. - JDP