Consistent
Daniel 1:21
“And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.”
The character of Daniel is summed up in the verse above when it says, “And Daniel continued…” There are many things that can be said about Daniel, but this may be the greatest
quality of his character. Daniel was not flippant with his life and his decisions, but he continued to do what he had always done day in and day out. It was the consistency of Daniel that gave stability to his life and those around him in the toughest of times.
You will never be the believer God wants you to be unless you learn to continue in life. Consistency takes character, and it is one of the traits you will always find in people whom God has used mightily. You cannot expect God to use you in a great way when you are inconsistent and unreliable in life. If there is one thing you must do to build a stable life, it is the ability to continue and be consistent in your everyday life. There are five areas of your life where you need to learn to be consistent.
First, be consistent in your decisions. Don’t be a person who makes flippant decisions. One of the keys to Daniel making great decisions was that he was not quick to make decisions, and he didn’t change from the decisions he had previously made. When Daniel was faced with interpreting a dream, he was wise enough to ask for time to make a decision as to what to do. When Daniel was forced to make a decision as to whether or not he should pray, he never changed his previous habits of praying three times a day. Being consistent in your decisions brings stability to your life.
Second, be consistent in pressure situations. Don’t let the pressure of life cause you to change. When pressure situations dictate that you must change, you must be consistent with doing what you have always done. If you let pressure situations change you, you will constantly be changing and be as inconsistent as the waves of the sea.
Third, be consistent in adversity. The way to make it through heartache and tragedy is to do what you have always done. You don’t have to know what to do to know what to do. Consistency in adversity is what brings stability in times of uncertainty. When you don’t know what to do in life, keep doing what you know to do until you find out the answer to what you don’t know.
Fourth, be consistent in times of persecution. This is one of the hardest times to be consistent. Daniel didn’t change what he did just because he was facing the lion’s den. Daniel continued to do what he did “aforetime” which is what brought God’s blessings on his life. Persecution will try to change you and what you do, but you must be consistent if you want to experience God’s blessings on your life.
Fifth, be consistent in the good times. I know this sounds strange, but many have changed their habits and routines in the good times just for the sake of changing. Whatever got you to the good times will keep the good times coming if you choose not to change what you have always done.
My friend, consistency is the key to bringing stability to your life. It may not always be fun or easy to be consistent, but you will enjoy the peace and stability it brings to your life. Don’t embrace change for the sake of change. Find good and scriptural routines in your life, and don’t change it for anything.
