It's 583bc and your country has just surrendered to the greatest empire in the world - Babylonia.

You and your friends are in your late teens and early twenties and you are taken from your homes and families and told you will never see them again!

You are transported 800 miles to a place that is fundamentally different from anything you have known. You are told that if you do not conform you will die! This is what happened to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

Even at this early stage of captivity, with everything they knew being taken away, how great must the temptation have been to also leave God and their faith behind! What would you do?

Even so, with this great pressure upon the four friends to be assimilated in the Alien culture, they resisted in such a way that it reflected a foundation of truth and relationship in God that had been established for many years previous to the captivity.

This is what we are focusing on today -being convinced of the truth BEFORE we face the trials of life. Having security in God will always bring us through!

1) Conviction begins at Home

2) Conviction about HIS Plan

3) Conviction brings Understanding

4) Conviction enables Boldness

‘Home’ can be associated with a number of experiences:

literally our home life (now and where we were brought up)

a) Our relationship with our children/parents

b) Our relationship with our wife/husband

c) Our relationship with our church

d) And most importantly, our personal view of ourselves in relationship to God.

The four friend's 'home' experiences were similar to ours. You may think ' yes but they must have had a perfect opportunity to be taught about God at home because they were Jews.

Do you think this is entirely true?

Consider the facts: King Jehoiakim of Judah had allowed the entire nation to slip into spiritual and moral decline. It is probable that these young men were in service at the palace where the truth had been turned into religious lip service! At least people knew about the one true God.

The fact is these guys had the same opportunity as we have. If we are blessed enough to know about God then we can make the decision to follow Him, develop our relationship with Him and build a conviction of His truth through Him.

At time of the deportation, these four friend had already developed a strong conviction and personal relationship with God. This filtered through everything in their lives and was the overriding factor for stability in all situations.

Truth is constant and conviction is the living and working reflection of it in our life. This is what is meant by spiritual growth. If we don't develop a 'convinced approach' to the truth 'at home' how will we ever make it through future trials.

The New Testament writers talk about this in these terms - 'you aren't ready - let go of childish things - GROW UP'! (From the letters of Corinthians & Peter).

A childish approach to 'home' (as listed above) will cause a missed opportunity to grow a solid conviction that with stand the test of time. Cultivate your conviction now BEFORE the storms come!

Everything is Gone! My home; my family; my country - Hey but not quite everything; they still had the plan of plan of God for their lives even though they didn't have all the details!

Daniel and his friends enjoyed the security this brought because they were convicted about the WORD OF GOD and what it taught. From this they knew;

God never stops loving His people

He is above all other gods

Judgement is coming but after this will be restoration

There is a purpose for everything that happens

The writer of Daniel also shows us that all events were part of God's plan. Can you find the subtle indicators in chapter 1?

Beginning of v1...............

v9...............

v17.............

The solid conviction of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah strengthened by their trust in the 'Word' enabled them to have complete confidence in God's purpose.

How are you facing the future - with dread or determination? (Discuss & Pray for a moment).

For many people who don't know what it is to have a firm conviction in the truth, the disasters that often happen in life can bring them to complete devastation. We now live in a world where more young people and men in particular are committing suicide than ever before.

Drugs & alcohol, sex & luxury are being used as a means of compensating for peace and security that so many lack, (some describe this as being like a ship without an anchor).

Most of all, the lack of conviction attacks the very foundation of our identity as we had so clearly explained in part 1 last week concerning the name changes that the four friends had to endure.

Yet, these young men didn't just survive, they thrived in this hostile environment. As we have seen in vs 9 & 17 Daniel and his friends had the favour and supernatural wisdom of the Lord upon them.

As they stood for God He applied these gifts to their lives.

They quietly stood out from the crowd with understanding that was not of this world!

How ever much we are respected by non-christians who recognise the favour of God on us because we are determined to follow our convictions, there will be those who are equally determined to make us conform to their culture!

It had to happen! A situation that landed three of the friends into hot water- or should I say very hot fire!!! Surely just a little bowing down to a giant idol accompanied by some music is no problem is it?

But seriously ungodly music combined with bowing down to an idol is just what Satan wants people to do.

Why do you think this is? Could it be something to do with his former place in heaven? Why music combined with pushing people to ‘bow down”? (Just have a very short discussion).

With out argument, anger or fuss, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah refused to bow the knee - an amazingly bold sign of their faithful conviction to stand for the truth.

The music may have been brilliant and captivating but their stand for truth was far more important even if it meant potentially death.

There has been a lot of debate about who was the forth one in the fire. I personally feel this person was more than an angel sent to protect them. The conviction that these men were willing to demonstrate in faith had to be rewarded by someone who is God’s best - Jesus Christ Himself in His pre-incarnate state (before the New Testament).

Isn’t it wonderful to know that since the Holy Spirit was poured out (in Acts 2), the presence of Jesus is with us where ever we are; and He will work powerfully for those who have settled conviction concerning the truth.