When you look at the book of Daniel, the lives of four young men ­– Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah – shows how they did not just survive, but thrived in a culture that was very different from the biblical standards that they had to live by.

The Babylonian culture that they were thrust into was highly hostile towards the moral and religious standards that they were required to uphold as Jewish boys.

On numerous occasions, Daniel and his three friends’ lives were threatened by virtue of their unwillingness to participate in the pagan worship and practices of the Babylonian culture and society that they were living in.

In spite of this, they not only survived those threats to their lives, they also thrived.

In fact, Daniel served not just one king under the Babylonian Empire, but he served under four different administrations: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, as well as Cyrus the Great, the last being a completely different empire that overtook the Babylonian Empire. (Daniel 1:18-21)

This was how effective Daniel was as a civil servant in the government system. He not only won the kings over but God was greatly glorified through his life and the life that he lived.

The question then is how did these men excel and thrive? Are there specific keys that we can glean from the Word of God?

There are, and I want to show you three things that happens when we are immersed in a culture and God calls us to be salt and to be light.

1. Change of name

As soon as Daniel and his three friends were inducted into the service of the Babylonian captors, the first thing that the culture sought to do was to change their names. (Daniel 1:6-7)

Likewise, the world will always try to redefine and remould us from the identity and the destiny that God has for us.

It is happening to us in many different ways: Through the things that we are watching, through the influence of culture.

The world seeks to define who we are if we are not sure about who we are ourselves.

Whatever nation, culture, era that you are living in, you need to first discover who your allegiance is to. As Christians, our first and foremost allegiance is always to our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are two angles to this.

Firstly, come back to the lordship of Jesus in our lives. This has to do with our obedience to Christ and to His word. (Luke 6:46)

I know that sometimes it is difficult to obey the Lord, sometimes there are fears that stand in the way. But we have to overcome the fear. We have to learn to walk in obedience.

Secondly, the essence of the 10 commandments defines who we are as Christians. 

And when you walk into culture, no matter what the culture tells you, you are already defined, you are already governed by the 10 commandments.

2. Change of diet

The second situation that arose for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah is an issue of food.

They were given food and wine from the king’s table – this is probably the best food and wine you will find. But these four young men would not partake of this food and so they went on a vegetarian diet and God supernaturally strengthened them. (Daniel 1:8-16)

Now the picture that’s painted for us here is that culture will always seek to impose a different diet on us.

Not the physical food that we eat but our thought diet.

Just observe the content we have on our TVs today. The shows that horrified us in the past does not horrify us anymore. Because we have been acclimatised more and more to an increased level of violence, of gore and of cuss words on TV.

This is how culture seeks to change your diet – by desensitising you to the message it is communicating.

Everything you watch has a worldview behind it. The question is what kind of a worldview will you agree with?

Can you decipher what worldview is being stuffed down your throat by what is being shown on TV? Or are you totally unconscious of it and just open your mouth to be fed whatever is being dished out?

Christians, it is time we learn to differentiate what is right and what is wrong.

3. Challenge of faith

We cannot insulate ourselves from the changes that are happening in the world, or the cultural influences. In fact, the Bible doesn’t tell us to.

But we can decide what we consume, in terms of what comes into our minds, into our spirit, into the philosophy that we adopt.

In John 17:15-17, we see that God’s intention is for us to remain in the world because He needs us in the world. But the problem is that many times, we are in the world and we are of the world. Yet Jesus says: “We are in the world but we are not of the world.”

Just as Jesus says He is “not of the world”, we have a different set of value systems, a different set of beliefs.

Then comes the key in verse 17: “Sanctify them by your truth, Your word is truth.”

Here’s what is needed for us to thrive in culture, what governs our lives – it is to sanctify. It means separate, set apart, make different, distinguish from.

Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable perfect will of God.”

In other words, the diet that God is calling us to is a diet of His Word. The primary means by which our minds is renewed is through a staple diet of reading God’s Word on a daily basis.

The key is whether you understand. When you read something you don’t understand, get some help; you need something to kickstart the process of that love and hunger for God’s Word. When you are able to unpack the Scriptures, every single verse will yield to you a wealth of the knowledge and the wisdom of God. (Daniel 1:17)

I pray that God would stir our hearts with great love for His Word and the desire to really shine for Him in the marketplace.

God wants you not just to survive; He wants you to thrive, to see His power manifested.

He wants to break fear’s hold over your life, He wants you to walk in power, in love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

God wants to anoint every single one of us.

How do we thrive in an uncertain world?

This article was adapted from Pastor Lim Lip Yong’s sermon, “Thriving in culture”, which was first shared in Cornerstone Community Church on September 9, 2018.