i resolve

I'm doing Beth Moore's study on Daniel with a group of ladies from my church. We spent a fair bit of time talking about the word resolve. Daniel 1:8 begins with the words: "But Daniel resolved..." Daniel made a decision about how he would do things and what was acceptable. And he followed through on it, because he resolved to do it, not just thought it might be a good thing to do. As I was reflecting on this idea of resolving to do something, I found myself writing a poem about it.

I resolve: I will live for Him

He sets the standards I will follow

The world around me

Will not snare me

I will live a life set apart

A life that shines a light

I resolve: I will not be defiled

By a world that wants to change me

A world that wants me to conform

My mind will not be warped

By influences trying to confuse me

Satan will not have my life as his

I resolve: I will live for Him

My life is not my own - my life belongs to Him

No matter what may come my way, it's His and His alone

No other thing will hold my heart

He is the One who captured it

And He will hold forevermore

As I think about the decision that Daniel made in the situation he was in, it seems to me that it would be one not taken lightly and made on the fly. Daniel had to decide firmly in his mind that this is how he would live or he never would have been able to stand in the situation he found himself in. We need to do the same for the situations we may find ourselves in.