Excellent Spirit Will Make You Tower!
Henry O. Adelegan Daniel had been taken from Judah as a young man, carried into Babylonian captivity. Yet captivity did not capture his integrity. Culture did not corrupt his conviction.
Henry O. Adelegan
Daniel had been taken from Judah as a young man, carried into Babylonian captivity. Yet captivity did not capture his integrity. Culture did not corrupt his conviction. From the beginning, he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). That inward resolve matured into a lifelong pattern of faithfulness. By the time we arrive at Daniel 6, excellence had become his reputation.
An excellent spirit is more than intelligence or skill. It is a combination of integrity, discipline, faithfulness, humility, and unwavering devotion to God. Daniel was competent in administration, but his greatness flowed from consistency of character. Even his enemies admitted they could find no fault in him “except we find it against him concerning the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5). What a testimony—to be so blameless that critics must attack your faith because they cannot attack your conduct.
Excellence inevitably attracts opposition. When King Darius planned to elevate Daniel, jealousy stirred among the officials. They manipulated the king into signing a decree forbidding prayer to any god except the king for thirty days (Daniel 6:7–9). It was a trap designed to destroy Daniel’s influence. Yet excellence anchored in God does not bow to intimidation.
Daniel’s response reveals the secret of his towering life: consistency in private devotion. “He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10). Crisis did not alter his commitment. Public pressure did not silence his prayer life. His excellence was sustained by communion with God.
The result was the lion’s den. Faithfulness led him into danger—but it also brought divine intervention. “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22). What was designed for destruction became a platform for promotion. After the ordeal, Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius (Daniel 6:28). Excellence not only preserved him; it propelled him.
The Lenten season invites us to cultivate that same spirit. Excellence is not seasonal enthusiasm; it is daily discipline. It shows in punctuality, honesty, diligence, and devotion. It means doing ordinary tasks extraordinarily well because they are offered to God. Colossians 3:23 reminds us, “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.” When work becomes worship, excellence follows.
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An excellent spirit will make you tower—not necessarily in fame, but in influence. It will distinguish you in workplaces, ministries, families, and communities. It will cause kings to notice and critics to marvel. Most importantly, it will honor God.
We live in an age that often celebrates shortcuts, compromise, and mediocrity. But God still searches for Daniels—men and women whose integrity remains intact under pressure, whose prayer lives are consistent, whose character speaks louder than their credentials.
One of principal demands of the Lent season is the need for you to cultivate an excellent spirit. Guard your integrity. Deepen your prayer life. Refuse compromise. Let your work reflect worship and your conduct reflect Christ. When excellence flows from your relationship with God, elevation will follow in His time. I pray that God will give you an excellent spirit and cause you to tower exceedingly in the name of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, develop in us an excellent spirit, strengthen our integrity, sustain our devotion, and cause us to rise for Your glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
