Daniel 2&3

Insights:
Daniel was humble and obedient and God honored him by raising him to positions of leadership, giving him long life, entrusting visions and dreams to him, as well as with materials.

Daniel could have tried merely to survive his experience as a captive in a foreign land. Instead, he never left his disciplined life of character and personal commitment he displayed during his times of testing under the kings of Babylon:

👉Honesty: He spoke the truth to authorities, regardless of its unpopularity.

👉 His Diet: He wouldn’t compromise on ritually unclean foods, but ate only vegetables.

👉Motives: He didn’t take credit for interpreting dreams, but glorified God instead.

👉Disciplines: He continued praying daily, even though it might cost him his life.

👉Integrity: He had no interest in bribes or payoffs like so many Christians today.

👉Convictions: He stayed committed to his friends and beliefs even as he rose through the ranks.

👉 He became a role model to Shedrack, Meshach, Abednego and many others through his persistency and consistency in every good work.

Character is the foundation on which a leader builds his/her life. It all begins with character, because leadership operates on the basis of trust. People will follow a leader only so far as they trust them. Character communicates credibility, harnesses respect, creates consistency and earns trust.

Adversity makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise. Every time a leader chooses character, they grow stronger.

👉 Character is more than talk: Action is the real indicator of character. Your character determines who you are and what you do. That is why you can never separate a leader’s character from his/her actions. If a leader’s actions and intentions continually work against each other, look to their character to find out why.

👉 Talent is a gift, but character is a choice. We have no control over a lot of things in life. We don’t get to choose our parents or the circumstances of our birth and upbringing. But we can choose our character. We create it each time we make choices of words and actions.

👉 Character brings lasting success with people. True leadership always involves others. Followers do not trust leaders whose character they know to be flawed, and they will not continue to follow them.

👉 Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character. Character will either limit or support a leader, depending on its strength. It will always determine whether a leader finishes well.

👉A true leader is not defined by their position but by their character. We all have spheres of influence.

👉 In what area of life might you improve your character following Jesus’s life, Daniel’s life and the lives of great men and women of excellent characters as role models?

As a father, mother, teacher, husband, wife, guardian, supervisor, moderator, coordinator, director, boss in office, in business/economic sector and other sectors, no matter your level and capacity, “YOU ARE A LEADER”. Please watch your character.