No Kool-Aid: Ep. 3: The Power of Resolve

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast, where we pray bold prayers,

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walk in bold faith, and expect a bold God to show up.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we open every episode with the same unshakable

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confidence Jabez had in 1 Chronicles 4.10.

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Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me,

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keep me from evil, and keep me from causing pain. And the Bible says,

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God granted his request.

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So if you're here today, get ready, because we're praying big,

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believing big, and walking in everything God promised. Let's begin.

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Hello, welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and today we're on episode three, The Power of Resolve,

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with our series, Living in Babylon Without Drinking the Kool-Aid.

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And I titled it, I shortened it, it says, No Kool-Aid, The Power of Resolve.

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Today, we're going to pick up in Daniel 1, verse 8.

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The theme for this episode is Daniel's private decision set a public standard.

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Let's read from Daniel 1 verse 8 in the New King James Version.

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It reads, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he will not defile himself with

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the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank.

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Therefore, he requested of the prince of the Enoch that he might not defile himself.

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He made a request to the email. He said, I will not defile myself.

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And then he made a request.

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I like that he was bold enough in Babylon that he was bold enough in Babylon,

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as an exiled person to say and to set standards before even everything even got started.

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You know how hard it is to set standards once you've been in a place for a while, right?

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You're like, maybe you have a new boyfriend. You don't set that standard in

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the beginning. It's hard to set that standard in the middle.

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But Daniel did something good. He set a standard and it became him a public standard.

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Daniel 1.8 at NIV says, but Daniel resolved not to defile himself with royal food and wine.

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He asked the chef, he asked the chief official for permission not to devile

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himself this way. So he didn't disrespect.

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He just asked, can we do something different? And let's find out what happened.

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The Hebrew word resolve, some live, means to set firmly in one's heart,

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to establish a purpose with determination.

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This wasn't a casual preference.

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It was a covenantal stand.

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Daniel didn't wait for the crowd to agree. He decided first.

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Resolve is the unseen backbone of spiritual conviction. It is what anchors you

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when everyone else drifts.

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Before the lion's den, before the fiery furnace, before the prophetic vision,

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there was this moment of quiet resolve.

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Daniel's first test wasn't dramatic. It was dietary.

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Yet, what seems small to man often proves monumental to God.

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Babylon offered delegates that looked good but would defile his covenant.

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The food symbolized compromise.

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Wow. A blend of God's people and the world's pleasures. Wow.

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The strategy of Babylon, corrupt the skies as comfort.

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Daniel's strength didn't come from resistance alone. It came from relationship.

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He wasn't just saying no to the king's food. He was saying yes to God's holiness.

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

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Romans 12.2 Resolve is forced in private, but revealed in public.

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You cannot stand before kings if you bow before cravings.

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Daniel teaches us that holiness is not legalism, it's loyalty.

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He didn't defile himself because he understood.

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What you consume becomes what you carry.

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If you feed on compromise, you'll walk in confusion. But if you feed on conviction,

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you'll walk in clarity. God uses Daniel's refusal to redefine the standard for

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every believer in captivity.

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This decision didn't just preserve him, it positioned him. Your resolve can

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be someone else's revelation.

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1 Samuel 2.30 tells us, Those who honor me, I will honor.

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So what was Babylon's place before you? Attention, approval, ambition?

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What seems sweet but carries spiritual poison?

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True Resolve says, I chose righteousness, even if the cause caused me recognition.

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That's powerful. Something to think about. What areas of your life requires fresh resolve?

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A decision to draw a line again.

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Have you confused comfort with calling? How can your private obedience set a

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public example in your environment?

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A decree, I resolve to walk in purity and power. My appetite will not control

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my anointing, and I chose discipline over defilement, purpose over pleasure, and holiness over hype.

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Let's pray. Lord, strengthen my resolve today.

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Help me see through the disguises of Babylon, the compromise that looks harmless but weak in holiness.

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Give me the courage to stand when standing costs something. Let my choices reflect

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my covenant, and let my conviction speak louder than my words. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Let's talk about some call to actions.

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Fast from one luxury item. This is your call to action.

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Fast from one luxury or indulge it today. Not for deprivation, but for devotion.

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Every time you're tempted, say aloud, my resolve is greater than my appetite.

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Journal what God reveals to you through the restraint.

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That's a powerful call to action, to give up something you really enjoyed today

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and see what God says, see what he does.

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Let's go to our topic, how not to drink the Kool-Aid.

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Five different ways how not to drink the Kool-Aid. Number one,

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recognize the menu of manipulation.

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Babylon always serves what looks delicious but leads to defilement.

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There is a way that seems right to man, but it ends in the way of death.

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Every believer must decide whose table they will eat from.

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The kings or the kings of kings. Number two, resolve before the pressure comes.

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Daniel didn't wait until the plate was in front of him to decide.

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He settled in his heart beforehand. But Daniel purposed in his heart,

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Daniel 1.8 tells us, you don't need new strength for every battle if your mind is already made up.

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Resist cultural calories. Babylon feeds the flesh to starve the spirit.

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The spirit is willing, but the

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flesh is weak. Matthew 20, every compromise begins with one indulgence.

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Are what you digest spiritually and mentally.

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Number four, remember who sustains you.

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Daniel's strength didn't come from the food, the king's food, but from God's favor.

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At the end of 10 days, they look healthier and better nourished than any other young man who ate the.

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And finally, number five, it says, Refuse contamination and choose consecration.

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Coming out from among them, Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 6,

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17, Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.

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Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6, 17.

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Holiness isn't isolation, it's

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insulation. You can live in Babylon without letting Babylon live in you.

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And our closing declaration is, I am not for sale and my soul is not on the market.

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Through Babylon offers what glitters, I choose what's godly.

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I will not sip from the cup of compromise. My portion comes from the Lord. Wow, powerful.

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You can't wait to the last minute to stand strong with God. You have to resolve

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in your heart what you will and will not do.

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And so we're going to close it out today.

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This is your host, Connie Morris, from the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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You see, it got me on pause because this is so powerful.

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To think of Daniel on, just think of Daniel where he was. And he decided probably

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on the journey during that exile that I might have to set my resolve real early.

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Maybe he said it way before he even was exiled that I will not do this in this land.

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No matter how long I'm going to keep

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whatever I need to do to keep my connection to God. I have to do that.

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And he resolved in his heart. So it wasn't a hard decision.

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I just want to just go over these how not to drink the Kool-Aid.

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To recognize the menu of manipulation, resolve before the pressure comes,

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resist cultural calories, remember who sustains you, and refuse contamination,

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and choose consecration.

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And so our next episode, we're going to cover in episode four, the test of appetite.

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Wow, this is going to be really good. So until then, I'll see you on the next episode.

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Family, thank you for spending this time with me today. To every woman listening

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who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, I want you to hear me clearly.

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God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

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That's why I moved everything to our new home on pod page, so you would have

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one place to connect with me, read the devotionals, listen to the podcast,

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and reach out whenever you need to.

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If you want to leave me a message, send an email, or simply find encouragement,

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it's all there at diaryofablackwomanllc.com.

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And if this podcast has blessed you and you want to support the work I'm doing,

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you'll find a buy me, a coffee link on the site as well.

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No pressure, just love and community. Before we leave, I want to speak the word

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that I close with every time because somebody needs this reminder today.

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It comes from Jeremiah 29, 11, 14.

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I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and

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not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, then you will call upon

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me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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I will be found by you, declares the Lord.

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Beloved, God has a plan for your life, a real one, a good one,

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and as long as you keep seeking him, you will find him even from the hidden places.

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I love you. I'm praying for you, and I'll meet you next time.