Develop Strong Convictions Daniel 1:3-13,17-19 Daniel was among a group of Israelites who found themselves living in a foreign land . The best and brightest of Israel had been sent to the cultural center of the Babylonian Empire to be assimilated into that culture . But Daniel intended to follow the plans of God rather than the intentions of the Babylonians .Nobody asked Daniel and the others what they would like to learn, to eat, or even if they wanted their names to be changed. They lived in Babylon now. This dynamic should feel familiar to us because, like these Israelites, believers in Christ find themselves living in a culture with all kinds of expectations. As believers, we have an unchanging Source of truth. It’s not in our nature to fit in. It is in our nature, as children of another kingdom, to stand apart.