La victoria interior | Vive más intensamente que con tus palabras | Pastor Kyle Rodgers

Hello, City First, with that voice, give Jesus a big praise, amen, amen. Come on, in all the locations, in Janesville, in Cape Coral, God behind the bars, PandoApp, and well, give a five to the people that are around you. If it's your husband or your wife, give them a kiss, if they're next to you. If it's not your husband or your wife, keep your mouth shut, please. God bless you, amen. I'm excited to talk about this series, about the victory within us. If you missed this series, I hope you can come back, and Pastor Jeremy and Lisa did a wonderful job of talking about last week and the week before, and we're focusing on Daniel's book in this series, and what we can get out of that book, and the title is this, and he teaches us a rhythm of grace and truth. Daniel found himself in a very particular scenario, in a regime of kings, and what he did consistently is that he showed us a rhythm of grace and truth. One of the things that was in the book of Jesus, according to the apostle Saint Paul, he talks about how Jesus was full of grace and full of truth. I mean, you know, there are people who are full of other stuff, right?

Oh, you're awake, right? But Daniel, with Jesus, he shows us what it's like to be full of grace and full of truth. This is conviction without arrogance, and courage without cruelty, obedience without theatrics, the true things that speak in two people, the whole thing that speaks at them. I'd love for you to put this in your mind. You know, faith and influence don't have to compete. They can live in the same heart. And Daniel showed us what can be done. With those three friends, Ananias, Misael, and Asarias, he showed us what can be done. So, we're going to take a little bit of time together today in all of our localities. We're going to take a little bit of time to talk about conversations and interactions that are found in Daniel's book that are specific to the beginning of what we can talk about. And the thing is, really, a person who doesn't have a beginning is dangerous. Why? Because that means they have nothing. And they're indicators, but they're just not holding us. I thought I was going to get a stronger amen right there. Daniel chapter one, I'm going to read it. About six or seven, I don't know, right?

Ah, I heard them, I heard them. I have about six or seven or eight Daniel chapter one scriptures and he's going to teach us the first principle. But Daniel resolved that he was not going to eat the king's food, right? He said he didn't want to get contaminated with the food and he came for the king. He asked permission from the chief of the state to not eat those unacceptable foods and he asked for favor and compassion, right? And well, and he said to Daniel, he says, I'm afraid of my lord, the king, who ordered you to eat these foods and drink this. If you become pale and thin compared to other young men of his age, I'm afraid the king will have me beheaded. And so Daniel spoke to the assistant who had been appointed by the chief of the state to take care of Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Asarias and he said, please try them for 10 days with a vegetable and water diet. At the 10th day, compare our appearance to the other young men who eat the king's food or what we eat. So he listened. He listened and he put it to the test. And at the end of the 10 days, they were in better appearance than the others and they were like that.

And here's the beginning, what we just read. The beginning is this, what we consume, what I consume reveals my commitment that guides my life. And what is that? Well, the truth is that Daniel had a conviction about what he consumed and he asked for permission instead of making a scene. He had a conviction about what he consumed. At that time, it was the food for the king. but the amazing part is that he asked for permission and he said, here we go. And he said, you know what, we're going to try it for how many days? Three days. And when they saw it and they saw the difference, they said, wow, Daniel Amnanias Misaelias Arias, his appearance was much better than those, than those who ate this. And why is this important? Well, because it matters. Daniel honored his convictions without dishonoring people. And I want you to be a little bit of this, to make you feel not mad today, not as mad as you are at Janesville today. But it's important to say, but how we honor people while living out the things we're allowed to do matters. No one has ever been criticized into the kingdom. No one has ever been criticized, I'll say that again. No one has ever been criticized into the kingdom.

They've been brought into the kingdom through relationship, love, examples, models, not people criticizing him on his journey. Can I talk to the parents? I've had a conversation, I've had a conversation for years of being a pastor. A lot of people have asked me, I've had a conversation with parents and others alike. I've never been a parent of other children. I've had enough with mine. But you know what? Someone gentleman pulled me over and said, hey, my son is helping me. He's having a very strong problem. Can you help me? He's not doing the right thing. And I said, okay. And I said, is your son a follower? And he said, we raised him in the church. We trained him. And I said, sir, I respect that. But does your son believe or not? And he said, I don't know. And he said, that's where it begins. What do you think? His son did not believe in Jesus. Now we know how to start and where to start. You trained him. You taught him. You showed him who Jesus is.

But at some point, I'm going to agree, they have got to make their own decisions themselves. And how you honor them in that process matters. For Daniel, the truth changed his boundaries. And look, I want to be really clear in the culture we live in, it was not his truth. It was the truth of the word of God that changed all this. But grace changed his way of handling things. Why? I'm going to save you $5,000 in marriage counseling, right, in marriage counseling. Because, what, it's not how you say it, right? It's how you say things, not what you say, right? Well, and Daniel was invited to interpret things. And in this, he was given the responsibility to speak in God, to have the gift to do so. And Daniel did and he came up with his proposal. And in these series, well, in Daniel chapter two, verse 27, Daniel speaks to the king and says, look, there are no wizards, there are no astrologers, there are no diviners who can teach you what God, what God, because there is a God, who can give, know the secret of the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and has given the king Nabucodonosor what will happen in the future. Now I will tell him what he dreamed and the visions he saw while he was lying in his bed. Now, God exists. And you know what, Daniel says,

I'm not communicating this message as something I invented, as the astrologers or the diviners or the wizards are saying, no, no, no, I'm here to communicate what God in heaven has just taught me to give. Daniel clearly told the king that his power was temporary and God gave it to him and the grace was, first, he praised God in private and spoke humbly, with humility, publicly. Why does this matter? Daniel was not gentle in his message and he also did not take the blame. He honored God and respected the authority at the same time. Here's the principle, private time with God. God produces public wisdom in public with people. Do you want to be better with people? Spend more time alone with God. This principle fits in any equation. Spend more time with God. Not praying about Jesus or doing something for my kids or I'm going to... No, no, no, no, no. How about private time with God? Let's see, and you say, Jesus, help me see these kids the way you see them, with the purpose that you created for them and the way you created them. Here we go.

God, my heart is broken because of how it affects my kids. Maybe you're not a coach. Help me see the athletes that are here and I can teach them about athletics, but information and fundamentals. But in this, I think you give me influence, time alone with God, where I can have that influence to have wisdom with them. I had an interaction a day ago that if I hadn't prayed before I left the house, I might have almost been in jail. Because you know what? Someone was very rude to me. And you know they're not mad at you. They're mad at five things that happened before you got here. And I don't know how you grew up, but let me tell you something. Right now, I was like this on the outside, and on the inside, I was five, four, three, two. The only thing that saved me was to spend time with God. He didn't teach me anything. He didn't say, hey, you're going to have this situation. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I just spent time with God repeating who I was in his eyes. So I say, wow, clearly you're not mad at me. You know what they did? Yeah, you're right, you're right.

I'm not mad at you, I'm sorry. You know? I feel humble, humble, because even on my best day, I'm not as good as this guy. You know what makes me better? For the places, people that God's going to put us around. God's going to put us around people. And how do we get better? Having private time with God. Because private time with God, it shapes how and what we say to people. Now hear me. How, when, and how, and what we say to people. Sometimes private time with God is not about how you say it, it's everything about what he says to you. So private time with God, sometimes you come along and you don't hear what he says because life, well, life gives us life. Sometimes you just got to get it out. I'm glad there's no microphone in my prayer closet. But what you got to do, spend that time with God, in private, far from people, so you can go into rooms with people who are representing him very well. You know, when we talk about representing God well, Daniel's book talks about this, with four to six characters here who represent him well, some would say they've been connected

to crucial conversations that happened in some of what took place in biblical history. Daniel chapter three, the pastor gave an incredible sermon last week. I'm going to talk about that real quick just to remind you. Daniel chapter two says Ananias, Misael, and Asarias with their original names. He says, we don't have to answer to this matter. They're telling you, we are confident in the Lord, we trust in him, right? He says, Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to defend ourselves in front of you. If this be our Lord, who will serve us, the God to whom we serve is capable of saving us. He will deliver us from his power, his majesty, but even if he doesn't deliver us, we want to make it clear to him. But, imagine, three words, well, in Spanish there are more words, but if he didn't do it, we want to make it clear to you that we will never serve your gods nor will we worship the statue of gold that you have raised. Imagine. You're talking about audacity, tenacity, trust, here's the truth. They refused to bow down to those gods because they were created in the image of the God that does exist.

Now the question is, where do we feel pressured to bow? Where do we feel pressured to bow down to them? What are these conversations? Who are these people? What is the scenario? This is going to change everything. How does it change everything? There are people who have different ways of thinking politically. This is going to change how you interact with them. Why? Because I'm not going to get into a fight with you anymore. I was created in the image of God. Called to be in the image of God and to bring glory. And to do it like that, I must not forget the responsibility that God put on me. And you know, they weren't going to serve him. And the truth, and the grace was calm, and was calm and respectful. Why does this matter? They spoke the truth without hostility. There were no insults. There were no threats. Because they knew that God was with them, no matter what. When you're clear in Christ, when you know your identity in him, you can stand firm without losing your composure. You know what our culture today needs?

Believers and followers who want to be there for Jesus without losing their composure. Here's the hard part. There are things that happen, that cause us anger. And anger is not bad, it indicates what's missing. And what filter are we using? What I want, or what God says is better for me? How do we have different conversations? If we weren't right to the right to the wrong. Pastor Christopher says in his book, the difference between Daniel and others is that Daniel chose what he was going to do before he went into a dilemma. Shadrach, Ananias, Misael, and Azariah, they were going to go, when the music was playing, what was your decision? One time, in particular, where I failed, someone hopped in the comments and started going on and started talking to my mentor. And well, the south side of San Petersburg came out, and I caught myself arguing with them in the comments. I didn't call them rude, I didn't say anything rude like that, but I told them, but I told them they were better than this. If you know you're better than this. I was raised in the 90s, and they said, you know this, you know you're better. If you know you're better, you can do better, man. Do better.

I went back to my mentor, I talked to him, and that conviction came to me quickly. And he said, Kyle, stop fighting and commenting. And I said, okay, Jesus. And he said, I'll take it one step further, schedule a coffee with that same person. And I said, Jesus, I didn't want to do it, but now you're talking, you're following me a lot. 48 hours later, I went to have a coffee with that person, and I'm never going to forget what I learned that day. Because they haven't changed, but I have changed. And what I learned the most is that the game changes when you sit down and have a coffee with people instead of just putting in the comments and putting yourself out there. It's the soundbite culture that we live in now. It's a soundbite culture. You sit down and before you talk to that person, it gets you in a bad mood. Maybe the game is going to change if we follow as we just have more conversations and less comments. The goal isn't to do what I want, but to do what he wants, and to get that out of my life, what he wants. Of course it hurts. Why? Because Ananias, Misael, and Asarias, they did this, they said with respect

what they felt with composure. And who came to the fire to save them? Jesus. If he came when they were like this, he'll show up to the fire now with you. He'll be there with you in the fire. Not only for these Hebrew men, the situations went like this, but in Daniel chapter four, let me use a paraphrase right here from the Mexican Bible. There's a moment where Daniel has to communicate information, he has a strong responsibility to serve. Daniel chapter four, verse 19 says, first Daniel was changed to Balthazar. If you're not sure what that definition is or why that matters, well, a couple of weeks ago, Pastor Jeremy showed us what it means when the Bible changes names when you're in captivity. Well, Daniel, also known as Balthazar, was overwhelmed by a challenge and terrified by the meaning of sleep. So the king said to him, Balthazar, don't be alarmed by sleep and what it means. Balthazar replied, my Lord, I would like the anticipated success in this dream to occur to his enemies and not to you. What happens here is that Daniel has communicated a difficult message

to a great and mighty king. And this, in this moment, was Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had been about to be humbled by God. He thought he was in control of all and God was about to wake him up. You are not in control. And then the scripture tells us that Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind for seven years. He was like a beast. He was like a little boy coming down to the ground. The nation that knew were amazed because the king was crazy. Daniel was standing in the office of Nebuchadnezzar, not just communicating the things that people wanted to hear but what they needed to hear. He looks at the king and he says, I wish this didn't happen, but it will happen. And he says it, not only in chapter four, but he says it in chapter five with another king named Balthazar. And so when he communicates this truth that he heard from God and had been trusted in front of him, there's grace. He expressed concern and he repented and he was concerned. What Daniel taught him was empathy before correction. He didn't like the messages

but he was cool and in the test of the balance. Truth. Truth carries more weight when it's delivered with care. I know this is a little difficult because it doesn't feel like the culture nowadays is communicating their truth with love. If anything, it gets attacked. People are attacking each other. They make us feel less than we believe in the righteous principles that is in God's word for us to try and live that way. This is why we have people like Daniel. And this is why we have a God like the one we serve. When LL's all around us is attacking us, he can still give us the confidence and the empathy to see people, here we go, not as a problem but as a purpose. People aren't our problem. They look like it sometimes. They sound like it sometimes. You look at the news and you suddenly, within 60 seconds, you find five reasons to get mad. Daniel had every right to feel like this. Daniel, imagine, lived with four different kings. Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Darius, and Nebuchadnezzar. Four different regiments and none of them was founded on biblical truth. And Daniel, by himself, he's spied on the influence. has an important impact and it has grace and truth almost as if one with another,

as if it wasn't going to be hard for him. In this scripture, he delivers the truth and he carries weight because he was careful. Can I just encourage someone to communicate truth and care, you are not one to be dealt with. There's an old school example, look, if anything, it's like pouring water into a little jar of Kool-Aid, like back in the day, with extra sugar. When you have the right mixture and you take it out, it's sweet for everyone. You're not lowering the message or the importance, but you're doing it so that people can receive it without feeling attacked. Can I just be honest? God doesn't need us to fight for him. He fights for us. Our responsibility is to let ourselves be carried by him at every turn. If I was back home, I'd say, you know what, wanting to be brave by telling the truth doesn't require that we have to be cold when we say things. I just have to say it how I want to. Okay. How are you going to know if I don't say it like that, if I don't tell you the truth? Let's see, I, mm, you sound like you already know.

You know, it's not just what you say, it's how you say it. Kyle, how do I say it? Daniel chapter six says this. He already got down three times a day, he prayed and thanked God as he did in Daniel 6.10. How many times did he pray? Three times. What was his posture? He got down on his knees. A theologian would say, anyone who gets up before God will be able to get up before anyone. Daniel decided to choose and then prayed again and kept on praying. Many of his prayers were answered. Others took 21 days because the enemy doesn't want God to answer our prayers because lives change. And you think he wants the enemy to change? Uh-uh. He's going to fight. He's going to fight. Why? He's going to fight. Because he's persistent. Not only is it good to pray once, but you have to keep praying. Daniel continued to pray to God despite all the law.

In Daniel 6, verse number 10, he didn't care about the law that had passed. He had to pray to the gods and not to the gods of the current regime. Daniel was facing the same problem that Ananias, Misael, and Asarias were facing. Do what I do, do what I do. Do what I do, do what I do. I do what the culture wants. And Daniel said, nah, I know what the truth is, but I'm funny. What do I do? Do I do it? Do I protest publicly? Do I attack the system? No, he knew what was working for him. The prayer is what kept him from exile. It was homecoming. These prayers, the prayer brought him in front of men and kings. The prayer is what kept his heart connected to the kingdom of God, so he didn't see the kings as a problem, but as opportunities for God to be glorified. Why does this matter? Because God's faithfulness was important. His obedience spoke louder than any anger he had. And I was saying, in all of our locations, you know, sometimes most of us get angry because we see things, we hear things.

Because we're let down by the culture. We feel like we should trust ourselves. And we say, what's happening in the culture? What's happening? People who don't know God are doing things that don't go with God, period. There's nothing new in the sun with this. And just to be clear, this isn't a 2026 thing. This is something human. It's been going on as a way of humanity throughout the existence. And all of us can keep going on to faithfulness. You know what? Fidelity, because God honors that. He honors fidelity. A faithfulness that was consistent and can't be weakened. Simply, prayer is a habit, keeps pressure from producing panic. Do we feel pressured? Yes. Yes. I never, imagine, when I pay my bills, I don't feel pressure. Imagine, even my nine-year-old says to me, oh, I want to grow, and I tell her, believe me. She felt at some point that she wanted to grow, but there's pressure. Pressure of being there for people. Pressure of being there for people. And so, prayer is a habit.

Prayer is a habit. Pressure of being there for people. Pressure of working. Pressure when people look at you and you're doing the good or the bad. Pressure to have, pressure to be a believer when everyone around you doesn't want to. Or they haven't chosen this path. Imagine, I mean, there's going to be important regenerations. Do you know where panic starts? Prayer isn't consistent. I'm not talking like, oh Jesus, this happened to me. No. I'm talking about constantly being there, not just to talk to God, just to talk. Kyle, I'm not standing in front of a king, it's good, but you're standing in front of a supervisor. Kyle, I'm not standing in front of a king, it's good, but you're standing in front of a boss, you're standing in front of your family, you're standing in front of your community, you're standing in Facebook, you're standing in Instagram, you're standing in TikTok, you're standing in some place. So, well, be something that's worth it.

And the only form of this, what do you have to do? It's constant prayer. So, we're not giving our opinion, we're giving our word. So, what did Daniel do? It was much bigger than what Daniel did. It was much bigger than what Daniel did. Daniel saw that he was a little seed that was planted for that generation. And Daniel said, I'm not going to waste this. And God honored him by giving him influence, right? In Babylon, Daniel chapter four, verse four, it says, the king gave Daniel great honors and gifts and he made him the ruler of all the providence of Babylon and he was higher than any wise man. Higher than any wise man. The wise of the wise, the smart people, the ones that I copied from my math test. Daniel became the king of everything. And you know, go back to this map. When Daniel went to exile, he made that transition. He followed that red line where he was in Jerusalem, Judea, Babylon. And when Daniel became in control and he was given the responsibility

to teach them wisdom, not only did he train them and teach them based on the kingdom of that time, but he also made sure to communicate that the God he found in Jerusalem was the God that followed him all the way to Babylon. And you can take me from my temples. You're never going to get the God that I found and he brought him over to exile for this. And well, he was teaching things and prophecies and biblical truths. And he said, well, what it says in Micah chapter four, it says, oh Bethlehem, you are too little for that. You are too little for that and you're going to be the one who's going to fix Israel. The one who's coming is from ancient times. 700 years before this, in Numbers chapter four, it says the following, another prophecy in Numbers 24, 17. It says, I see it, but not now. I have it, but not near. A star is going to come out of Jacob and this is going to come out of Israel. What's the connection here, Kyle? Well, when Daniel faces here in Babylon and he has influence and he has an impact

and he is humble and he has responsibilities and God helps him to find favor, so much favor that when he makes the transition to Babylon, he's teaching him these things so that when Jesus is born, who comes to find him? Wise men? Really? Where from? The east. And where was the east on the map? On the map. Babylon. How do they know to get there? In Babylon. What? Someone taught them. Who told them that? Someone who was already winning. Who didn't see where he was. Not as a spell, but as a task. Let's see, I spoke like you were at work. It's the purpose that God has for you. The school you're in, the community, God is assigning it to you. The people you're around, the family you're in, it is not a mistake, it is a task. Stay faithful to your task. How do you do this? Prayer.

There's no secret sauce for this. Constant communication. Communication with your creator is going to keep you aligned with your assigned task from heaven. If you're like me, sometimes I don't know what to pray for. I hope there's no microphone in my closet. You can take a picture of this prayer I put in. If you need something, you can pray this based on Daniel's book. He says, God, help me see the right things. Do the right things, even if they are difficult. And help me to be more like you. That it reflects in you, in the name of Jesus, amen. Every day, you can pray this. If you've been following God for five minutes or five decades, here it is. God, help me to say the right things. Because sometimes if we say the wrong things, they send you to the other side. Help me, Lord, to do the right things even if I don't want to do them. Tell him, it's the moment where God is asking you to be an example for others. It's easy, right? To be a Christian on Sundays, nothing more. But no, you have to get there. Amen, right? Well, we have to bow our heads. I know that many have made this decision

and others have not. But let's close our eyes, let's pray. The only thing that matters is that with your voice, you create what you're saying in your heart. And the scripture says that not only are you going to be saved but you're going to start a relationship with God that will last for all eternity. We know that it's the best. City First, I'm asking you to pray with me all together. Just say, Jesus, I need you. I've tried it on my own. I've failed. So today, I give you my sin. I receive your forgiveness. I give you my life. I receive your leadership. I'm the God of my life and the King of my heart. Help me to win inside, to have victory inside of me today and every day that comes. In the name of Jesus, we all say, amen, amen.