Week 10: Moral Determination

But Daniel resolved [purposed in his heart] that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             —Daniel 1:8-9 (ESV)

So much of what we see in a politically correct society today is spineless religion. To be a leader is to be a leader. A leader must embrace the fact that to imitate Christ is to be as radical as he was in his moral determination to present his Father’s kingdom principles to the corrupt, religious and civil authorities of his time.

No one can be a leader if no one is following; unless there exists in them a voice of reason and truth that influences others enough to want to follow. But such truth divides. It separates the strong from the weak, mice from men, kittens from the lioness. To survive the challenges with leading, one must possess the moral determination to do so without fear.

Here is just a short list of those who exemplified this quality in the Bible:

• Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ (Hebrews 11:26) as of greater value.
• Daniel purposed in his heart (Daniel 1:8) not to defile himself with the king’s royal diet.
• Jesus set his face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7), and then carried his cross to Golgotha.
• Paul determined not to know anything (1 Cor. 2:2), except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

A true leader will not be distracted or pulled in other directions from their mission. They will keep focused, faithful, undeterred, and undefiled. Few have left us with the example of such spiritual greatness; a greatness born out of moral determination to firmly set one’s mind on doing the will of God.

As you grow each week through your discipleship training, you will be equipped with God’s Word to develop this type of moral courage. It’s why Jesus took three years to teach his disciples and even intensified his time with them during their last year. He prepared them to follow him, to declare him and his teachings to the world no matter the cost—even in death.

This is moral determination.

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