“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him…” (Dan. 6:3)
Daniel stood out from everyone else around him because the Bible says “an excellent spirit was in him.” There is nothing more valuable than having a good spirit. Notice how God used Daniel’s spirit for his good.
FIRST—He Was PREFERRED Because of His Spirit.
It says, “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes,” The worlds says, “Climb the corporate ladder anyway you can. Step on as many people as necessary in order to make it to the top.” But God has a better way…maintain an excellent spirit! Because Daniel had the right attitude, it endeared him to the king and gave him more favor than those who were over him.
You don’t have to plan, scheme, and manipulate your way to the top. Just maintain an excellent spirit and let God do the rest.
SECOND—He Was PROMOTED Because of His Spirit.
The last part of (v.3) says, “the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” Then, (v.28) says, “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” There is an old saying, “You can’t keep a good man down.” Well, you can’t keep a godly man down, either!
If you will guard your attitude and determine to maintain an excellent spirit no matter what others do or how others act, God will bless you and promote you according to His plan for you.
THIRD—He Was PROTECTED Because of His Spirit.
Daniel’s excellent spirit came from his walk with God and everyone knew it. Even his enemies said in (v.5) “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” There was no guilt nor guile in the heart of Daniel. Therefore, it protected him from allowing anger and bitterness to grow in his heart. When we maintain an excellent spirit, God will also protect our name and our testimony. The very man who was attacked by his enemies was promoted by his king. God protected him and blessed him.
Determine today to just keep doing right even when you have been done wrong. Don’t let your enemies steal your excellent spirit, because in the end, you will see there is nothing more valuable.