...and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. — Daniel 1:10-16

So as we said yesterday, this devo is part of a three-part series where we will learn how resolute men do three things. How a resolute man makes choices. How he approaches challenges. And how he affects others.

Today is part two — How a resolute man approaches challenges.

So Daniel just made a resolute choice to take a stand for his biblical convictions. But now, he is required to act. And how he approaches the challenge before him will shape the outcome of his conviction.

You see, I believe godly men always feel these spiritual convictions. And I know this is the case because the Spirit is always convicting — that's his job. But our response to this spiritual conviction makes all the difference. And there are two extreme responses. The first extreme is the man who acts on the conviction immediately, but his overly passionate approach leaves devastation in his path. Thus he and others suffer. The second extreme is the man who hesitates to act on the conviction, and his passivity leaves destruction in his path. Thus he and others suffer. And these are the extremes. And let's be honest, you and I have done both. You and I have been on both ends of these extremes. We do this at home, work, school, and church, and they result in situations that don't play out very well for anyone involved. And in the end, our attempt at becoming resolute men is foiled because of how we acted.

But Daniel gives us a superior model. He demonstrates how resolute men approach a challenge. He is convicted and determined to be resolute. And a step must be taken quickly; otherwise, passivity will set in. At the same time, his actions must not be overly passionate, or he will endanger himself and others. So here is what he does:

He Is Respectful. He speaks to his superior directly about his conviction because he knows his conviction could be interpreted as disrespectful. To reject the provision of the king was to reject the king. And so Daniel, while passionate, has to be respectful. I think a lot of resolute men forget this. We believe our passion gives us the right to be disrespectful, and it doesn't. It is possible to take a hard stand for our views without hating on people. For example, I can be passionately pro-life, strongly disagree with those on the other side, and respectfully speak to them.
He Is Tactful. He speaks up about his conviction. He cannot be passive. Therefore he has to verbalize his beliefs. So he makes them known, not just to his three buds, but to the person who has the power to make the needed change. And he diplomatically presents them. He takes a stand but speaks in a way Asphenaz will listen. So for you guys who tend toward passivity, you may need to tactfully speak up to the right person and stop holding it in.
He Presents A Solution. Daniel is in a predicament, but he also knows this will present a dilemma for his superior. So instead of just presenting a problem, he offers a solution — a substitute meal plan. And, of course, it works. And this is another thing we can do as resolute men, present a real solution to the challenge we're facing.

And thus, what we get at the end is an incredible example. A resolute man who approaches challenges resolutely by being respectful, tactful, and solution-oriented. And guess what. Everyone wins in this situation. Daniel. Asphenaz. Nebuchadnezzar. And even the three friends. Now, this is not guaranteed to work exactly like this every time. There are plenty of times resolute men approached a challenge and were stoned, crucified, or beheaded. I can think of a few examples of this in the New Testament right now. But why not first try what Daniel did right here. Be respectful. Be tactful. Be solution-oriented. Be resolute.

ASK THIS: What situation do you need to approach differently today?

DO THIS: Choose one of the above. Respect. Tact. Solution. And then, write it below and do it.

PRAY THIS: God, win the battle for me today. It belongs to you.

Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/