03-10-13
Excellence (2) Key To An Excellent Spirit!
Page One
Text: Dan 6: 1-4 “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps,
to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that
the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this
Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit wa
sin him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and
satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find
no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.”
Intro: Remember the story of King Nebuchadnezzar
1- Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, and he sent word to gather together the satraps,
the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all
the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image. So they all showed up and a
herald cried "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, etc, etc, to bow down…”
-Well, in verse 3 of our text, it says that Daniel had an excellent spirit.
- This is our goal today: What is the key to having an excellent spirit.
 Another way to say is: We should desire to have a spirit in us that excels.
2- Daniel was a man set apart from the rest.
??? What made him different and what gained him promotion?
Def. Excel: ‘to stand out’, ‘to shine’, ‘to surpass’; it also means ‘to go beyond’
 These are the qualities found in Daniel.
 But, what drove Daniel to be that way?
 What made it continue to press on?
3- Caleb was another man who had this same drive and same spirit.
- He was in his 80’s when he said `Give me this mountain`.
- While others were content to sit and die, Caleb was passionate to fulfill all that God had for
him and it’s the same with Daniel here.
Listen: __ I believe this excellent spirit should be found in every Believer today.
__ What drove Daniel and Caleb is what should be driving us today!
A: Let’s look at what makes a person possess an excellent spirit.
1. Daniel was a Man of Principle
1 Cor. 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.”
1- Daniel had Godly standards and he would not compromise them for anything or anyone.
2- This principle drove Daniel and made him excel.
3- Daniel believed that everything he did was for the glory of God.
4- This attitude made him go beyond, go to the limits and go to the extremes in honoring God.
Listen: If you and I let this principle shape us it’s going to set us apart.
• It will drive us forward in Christ.
• It will create in us an excellent Spirit.
• For all that God has done for me, he deserves my best effort.
Point: Daniel did’nt give God a half hearted attempt of service, but his best effort and at any cost.
 God came first, no matter what.
 We should do the same.
• Daniel’s excellent spirit came about because he believed that he was representing the Living
God.
• Daniel was not only a man of principle. It came about because He was also...
2. A Man of Prayer
1- Daniel didn’t do anything without prayer.
2- Prayer gave him success, favor and made him stand out.
3- Praying / staying connected with God, gave him what he needed to go beyond.
Note: His faithfulness to prayer also got him in trouble.
• Remember, Daniel couldn’t do without prayer and nor can we that’s why we’ve been teaching
on prayer lately. We’ve been having prayer before service. Come and pray with us before
service.
Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his
upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times
that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
4- What made Daniel different was his prayer life and that made him excel.
5- God does special things in and through people who pray like this.
6- Something is found in them something is seen in them and everyone knows it.
Daniel was also...
3. A Man of Perception
1- Daniel had vision and discernment, he showed Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of his dream and
showed Belshazzar the meaning of the hand of God.
2- God gave Daniel perception / insight and this quality set him apart.
3- God can give us perception and insight today if we become a praying people.
a- We’ll see clearer, what God wants us to do in various situations.
b- He’ll give us instructions on what to do.
Listen: As ministers, we need a godly perception to help, lead and teach others.
 We also need the perception of the signs of the times. Be His watchmen.
 To know what’s going on around us, it helps us to minister real and applicable messages.
 We need to be His heralds (bringer of news) that Jesus is coming soon!
o We need to pray for boldness to do this, be His witnesses.
Rom 13:11 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for
now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
Note the line ‘knowing the time’. The Bible says that we ought to know the time we are living.
4If we really knew the time we would not let ourselves be so entangled with the things of
this life.
5If we really knew the time we would be witnessing to others more often.
6Through prayer, God can place in you what He placed in Daniel: Godly perception,
awareness, insight and sensitivity.
Dan 5:5-12 “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the
lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the
hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so
that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king
cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke,
saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation,
shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third
ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the
writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly
troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished. 10 The queen, because
of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O
king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change.
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of
your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in
him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the
magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit,
knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were
found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will
give the interpretation.”
The Queen is saying: “There is a man in your kingdom who has the answer.”
a- We should want God make us part of the answer today not part of the problem.
b- This was in Daniel and it was there because God was in Daniel.
o The reason was: Prayer… Daniel was connected with God.
o We need to get and stay connected with God.
Listen church: The same Spirit of God that was in Daniel resides in us who are Born Again.
One last thing that made Daniel excel and made him different was...
4. Daniel Was a Man of Power / Authority
1- Power marked this man’s life and set him apart for God’s purpose.
2- God’s power is still there today.
Listen: Concerning this power and authority:
o It set Daniel apart and it also got him into some trouble.
o It will do the same for us.
o Meaning, you can’t go around using this power and not expect resistance.
Dan 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper
room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that
day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
Dan 6:15-16 “Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king,
that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes
may be changed.”16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into
the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually,
He will deliver you.”
* Now that’s easy to say when you’re not the one facing these beasts.
Daniel 6:18-22 “Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians
were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in
the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried
out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the
living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the
lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and
shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before
Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
5. Listen: A person who holds on to their Godly principles and standards, the person, who remains
steadfast in prayer; those who never lose sight of the perception of God’s will and God’s ways, that
person will overcome every lion and every pit they find themselves in!
1- God doesn’t give His power out to everyone.
2- He doesn’t give it out easily either.
3- He tests us first; He tries us to see what is in us and if He can trust us.
I want to close tonight with this verse: Daniel 6:3
“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent
spirit was in him.”
Pray:
I pray that we would become a people of prayer. Because that’s where this all begins.
May God set us apart and make this church, a different church.
May we go beyond even what is asked of us and may we see His power manifest.
Amen.