Sin City: Ep. 4: How Daniel Kept His Clarity

0:10 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast, where we pray bold prayers, walk in bold faith, and expect a bold God to show up. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we open every episode with the same unshakable confidence Jabez had in 1 Chronicles 4.10. Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me, keep me from evil, and keep me from causing pain. And the Bible says, God granted his request. So if you're here today, get ready, because we're praying big, believing big, and walking in everything God promised. Let's begin.

1:01 Hello and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris and today we're continuing a similar series that I started but I switched it up a little bit and it's going to be titled Sin City. Instead of using Babylon I'm using the word Sin City. So we're going to continue episode four living in Sin City drinking the Kool-Aid. So we are living in what I call Sin City. And there used to be a show out way back in the day called Sin City. And all they did was sin. And so I wanted to change the theme of the podcast to Sin City because many people don't understand Babylon.

1:42 They don't understand no Kool-Aid. And so when I say Sin City, that will actually go like, oh, that will get your attention. And so I wanted to change it to something that can relate to everyone. And so when we talk about Sin City, we always talked about, we hear about that when we talk about going to like Las Vegas. Remember it says Las Vegas, it's titled really Sin City. And they always tell you what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But it's starting to be like what happens not just in Vegas, but in any part of the United States. And people are taking their sin across to Dubai and over to different areas, trying out new things.

2:24 And so it's kind of like a contagion happening. And so I wanted to make it more down the earth for you. And then we're still going to use our character, Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, Meshach, Abednego, and Shadrach. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We're still going to use them as our Bible characters. I wanted to get your attention on the seriousness of this Kool-Aid drinking that's happening. So when Sin City is not about the lights, the clubs, or the casinos, it's about a system that makes sin feel normal and truth feel extreme. So if you're a person that's trying to walk in integrity, walk in truth, walk in holiness, and you feel like you're the only one, don't let that surprise you.

3:11 People aren't just sinning, they're believing lies and they are defending them. And what does that mean when I say drink the Kool-Aid? We talked about that already. What does Kool-Aid really mean? Kool-Aid is not rebellion. It's an agreement with deception. I'm going to drink the Kool-Aid. I don't care what you say. I have a friend who lost her job. And I said, now I guess it's time for Jesus. And she says, nope. And I said, okay. Okay. So I said, we'll keep it going. And so what does the Bible tells us? What did it warn us? In Romans 1.25, it says they exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Notice it doesn't say they were forced.

3:54 It says they exchanged. That means they chose what sounded better. Now that's Sin City. We talked about Babylon was Sin City and Daniel lived there. The Bible doesn't pretend that Babylon was neutral. Babylon was educated. Babylon was advanced. Babylon was cultured. Babylon was powerful. And Babylon was godless. Daniel chapter 1 tells us exactly how it started. King ordered Asphanus to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites, young men without defect, quick to understand, qualified to serve in the king's palace.

4:41 Babylon didn't pick the broken, it picked the best. That's important because deception always targets people with potential. God allowed the placement, not the poison. When scripture says something that should sober us is that the Lord gave Joachim, king of Judah, into his hand. This may sound like a review, but let it sink in that God controls everything. God allowed them to live in Babylon. Well, nowhere does God tell them to become Babylon. That's the mistake people make today. God may allow you to live in Sin City or wherever he's allowed you to be, wherever he's allowed you to live, and it might look like all hell is breaking out, but he did not tell you to become like them.

5:35 But he never authorizes you to drink the Kool-Aid or whatever they are serving. The first Kool-Aid is renaming. We talked about that. Babylon's first move wasn't food, there was identity. The chief official gave them new names. Daniel 1.7, every Hebrew name honored God. Every Babylonian name honored idols. This was spiritual identity theft. Babylon understood something modern culture understands very well. If I rename you, I can reshape you. And scripture tells us God warned against this long ago.

6:15 I have called you by name. You are mine. Isaiah 43.1. Babylon renames. God claims. The second Kool-Aid was compromised disguised as comfort. Then came the food. The king assigned them daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. Daniel 1.5. This wasn't starvation. This was luxury. Babylon didn't starve Daniel. It tried to seduce him. And that's where the real story begins. Daniel 1.8 tells us that Daniel, but Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.

6:56 The document made this clear. The Bible makes this clear. This was not about diet. It was about participation. Once you eat from the table, you accept the house values. Now that's the Kool-Aid. While you can't sit there and eat a man's food and then tell him, you know, I don't believe in your God. I don't want to serve you. I'm not like you, but you're eating at my table. You're eating what I serve you. Now, serving can be different, too. Why Daniel saw that what others missed. Daniel understood what scripture says later. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 12-2.

7:38 Conformity doesn't feel evil. It feels reasonable. It feels like everybody's doing it. God understands. Times have changed. But scripture says, Isaiah 520, woe to those who call evil good and good evil. That's sin city language. What happens when you don't drink the Kool-Aid? Daniel refused and God responded. At the end of 10 days, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. And then this, to these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding, and Daniel could understand vision and dreams, Daniel 1.17.

8:20 The sermon came because he refused to drink. That's the part people don't want to hear. When you drink the Kool-Aid, you don't just lose holiness, you lose clarity. How is Sin City today? It uses the same strategy. Today, Babylon doesn't demand worship. It demands agreement. Scripture warns us in Matthew 24, 4, take heed that no one deceives you, not persecute you, deceives. Because deception works best when it sounds loving, modern, and compassionate. And scripture says the result looks like this. 2 Timothy tells us it looks like this, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

9:07 2 Timothy 3.5. That's Kool-Aid Christianity. A warning to you. Daniel didn't escape Babylon. He outlived it. He served under multiple kings because he never surrendered his discernment. So here's a real question. What have you been consuming? ideas, beliefs, narrative that don't come from God, but feel harmless enough to tolerate. Because once you drink it, you will start defending it. And scripture says, wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. And many enter through it. Matthew 7, 13. Many. Soul city is full. The Kool-Aid is flowing.

9:52 The question is not whether it's available. the question is whether you will say no and that's it this is the diary of black women podcast and i am your host dean morris and i hope that you're getting the point that the kool-aid ain't free the kool-aid is going to cost you your discernment it's going to cost you something if you take it but it's going to you're going to gain everything when you refuse it and i'll see you on the next episode.

10:35 Family, thank you for spending this time with me today. To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, I want you to hear me clearly. God has not forgotten you, and neither have I. That's why I moved everything to our new home on PodPage, so you would have one place to connect with me, read the devotionals, listen to the podcast, and reach out whenever you need to. If you want to leave me a message, send an email, or simply find encouragement, it's all there at diaryofablackwomanllc.com. And if this podcast has blessed you and you want to support the work I'm doing, you'll find a buy me, a coffee link on the site as well.

11:17 No pressure, just love and community. Before we leave, I want to speak the word that I close with every time because somebody needs this reminder today. It comes from Jeremiah 29 11 14. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope in a future, then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. Beloved, God has a plan for your life, a real one, a good one, and as long as you keep seeking him, you will find him even from the hidden places. I love you.

11:58 I'm praying for you, and I'll meet you next time.