READ
Daniel 1:1-21

KEY TRUTH
Daniel's decision to stay holy came from knowing his identity, not from willpower alone.

OBSERVE

• Daniel resolved not to defile himself (v. 8), a decision rooted in identity, not rules.

• There is a "college way of life," a pressure to believe you'll be worse off if you don't conform. Daniel faced this same pressure and stayed confident in who he was instead (v. 10).

• Favor followed his holiness (v. 9).

• Excellence followed his holiness (v. 17).

REFLECT
Before Daniel and the three Hebrew boys ever set foot in Babylon, they had a relationship with the Lord. That relationship gave them an understanding of their identity in God. It gave them clarity about who they were long before Babylon tried to tell them otherwise.

It was out of that identity in God that they refused the king's food, food that would have defiled them. They chose fruits and vegetables over steak and meat.

You're stepping into a new season that will test you the same way Babylon tested them. Knowing your identity in Christ will shape the friends you make, the decisions you make, and how you carry yourself in front of people.

You are exactly who you think you are, so who do you think you are?

APPLY
Write down a value system you intend to live by this semester. What are your do's and don'ts?

The more time you spend in God's presence through devotion, Bible study, and prayer, the stronger you become in resisting the pull to look like everyone else around you. When you know who you are, you behave like who you are. When you don't know who you are in Christ, you settle for behavior beneath your calling.

JOURNAL PROMPT
What is one "Babylon" pressure you're already anticipating this semester, and what will you do differently because of who you are in Christ?

PRAY

1. God, reveal my identity in Christ to me.

2. Help me not to give in to the temptation to fit in.

3. I will live by my identity in Christ, not by the expectations of the world.

4. God, the more I behold You, help me become more like You.