“This Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” – Daniel 6:3
What is this spirit of excellence? The excellent spirit comes from the Holy Spirit. The dictionary definition for excellence is “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”.
From a Biblical perspective, being outstanding or extremely good goes beyond intellectual prowess but talks more to the pursuit of Christ-like virtue, which translates to a commitment or a desire for God above all else.
What do we need to do to possess the excellent spirit? The excellent spirit comes from a heart desire and not by lip service.
When a man fervently desires to please God he will soon find himself walking in partnership with Him, and he will be possessed by this spirit of excellence which strongly manifested in a man called Daniel.
Why does a heart desire have to come before excellence? Because the Holy Spirit is an active personality in search of the truth. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV), we read that ‘the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’.
God is ever searching for men and women in whom He can show Himself strong – as He did with Daniel, Joseph, David and of course Abraham.
Therefore, before the manifestation of the fruits of excellence in a man there must be total commitment, not a half measure or to commit only when it is convenient.
Without a full commitment to Jesus no one can meet up to the high standard of God. How does this happen? When we commit to follow Jesus whole heartedly, we will discover that the Holy Spirit will begin to genuinely transform our desires to the extent that the things we once cherished no longer appeal to us.
Material things that people kill and die for loose their grip on us and as we begin to grow in the light of the Kingdom of God and eternity, recognition, status, position, fame, and fortune no longer has a death- grip on us and if, or when they come our way, they only serve one purpose- to edify God. Galatians 5:24 tells us that, “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
In the scripture we read that Daniel understood dreams and was elevated in the government of his day, like Joseph before him. He committed to God without fear for his life. He was gifted in prophecy. He experienced the miraculous. In other words, the more he committed to serving God single-mindedly the more God became committed to ensuring that he became successful all the days of his life.
The life of Daniel was that of duty, commitment, and responsibility to the things of God, above material gains, therefore the spirit of excellence came naturally to him.
Men may desire the fruits of excellence but in the things of God there will always be a price to pay for such a reward. The things of God don’t come cheap. Salvation maybe free but it did not come cheap: Christ paid the ultimate price with his life.
God is always looking for depth and not shallowness, always pruning and re-pruning until the chaff are totally separated from the wheat. He is looking for committed people and not fair-weather friends who trust Him only when things are smooth and sailing.
Now, many lives and many nations are in ruin today because men pay lip service to the things of God, aided by empty religion but are unwilling to fully commit their hearts to Him that they maybe spiritually healed. They seek after glory and promotion through deception and immoral dealings, and little wonder their paths are strewn with regrets.
They forget that the devil hides his ultimate intentions before he manifests his ministry of destruction, which is only to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10).
But our Lord demands all, and the excellent Spirit will cost us our all because no one attains to the spirit of excellence without being tested to be found worthy.
Regarding Daniel, we read that when his traducers put him on a scale with the intention of defaming his character in the way he conducted his business and personal life ‘they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent’. (Daniel 6:4).
Beyond striving for a godly walk, an excellent spirit demand that we take our life and responsibilities seriously by understanding and walking in divine purpose.
Men of excellence don’t measure their lives only by material success, but they constantly weigh their lives on eternal scales with an understanding that life is much more than bread and butter- they know there is an eternal concept to life. (Mathew 6:25).
This spirit of excellence was amplified in Colossians 3:23 saying ‘Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men’. The spirit of excellence abhors hypocrisy and embraces responsibility and accountability to God. Those who are men pleasers cannot attract an excellent spirit.
Daniel was fully committed to God and therefore easily handled temptations and trials. When the king offered him gifts to induce interpretation from him he boldly declared: “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else’. (Daniel 5:17).
When he was thrown into the Lion’s den God was there to protect him. His faithfulness to God even attracted God’s greater faithfulness in his moment of helplessness.
What our world needs today to be saved from a continual bend towards implosion are men of excellent spirit who are full of passion for God and who are not moved by only material rewards. They love Christ for Christ’s sake and not for the rewards.
Because Daniel committed to God, the Giver of gifts, he had His gifts and much more his sterling character advertised the quality of his God. God is calling all of us to come up to this standard and nothing else will satisfy Him until we commit fully to Him.
Reading
Daniel Chapter 6
