Introduction – Two key life principles:

Life Principle #1: Before every blessing there's always a testing.

Life Principle #2: God tests us with stress before He blesses us with success.

Quality 1: Integrity – I must never forget who I am.

Quality 2: Self-discipline – I must control my ego and my appetite.

Daniel 1:8 (TLB) - But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the king...

Romans 6:13 (TLB) - Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God—every part of you—for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.

Quality #3 – Courage: I must be willing to stand alone.

Daniel 1:10 (TLB) - …he was alarmed by Daniel’s suggestion. “I’m afraid you will become pale and thin compared with the other youths your age,” he said, “and then the king will behead me for neglecting my responsibilities.”

Quality #4 – Humility: I must be tactful when engaging authority.

Daniel 1:8-19 - Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him, 9 and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel. 10 Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, “The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don’t look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me.” 11 So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends. 12 “Test us for ten days,” he said. “Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.”

14 He agreed to let them try it for ten days. 15 When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food. 16 So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided.

17 God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams.

18 At the end of the three years set by the king, Ashpenaz took all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them all, and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah impressed him more than any of the others. So they were promoted to the king’s court.

Conclusion: How can I best make my case to an authority?

A. I must develop a reputation for responsibility.

B. I must be humble and not antagonistic.

Proverbs 25:6 (TEV) - When you stand before the king, don’t try to impress him and pretend to be important.

C. I must be honest and never deceptive or manipulative.

D. I must appeal to their goals and their interests.

E. I must choose the right place, the right time, and the right words.

1) What’s the right place? Always privately.

2) When’s the right time? When they are not threatened.

3) What are the right words? Words that are polite and pleasant.

F. I must trust God if they reject my appeal.

Note: Any/all outlines represented in the Adventurer's Packing List whether adapted or in their original form are used "by permission" of the original author(s).