Q4. Innovation

[Krissi]

It's always difficult to know if it is God who implants an idea or, in this case, Daniel, or a bit of both. From the text it appears that Daniel  by himself first got the idea of simply asking to be excused from the king's menu and, then, only after the direct approach had failed, trying to bargain using an approach given to him my God.

This is a problem I have in my spiritual life.  When I have an idea or prompting, knowing if that idea was self-generated or of God is important. If of God, it must be obeyed quickly even if it seems irrational or even dangerous -- if of me it must be questioned and submitted to Him. most ideas are treated as if they are my own which means that most of my thinking isn't inspired. 

Like Daniel I can reason backward from results. If the results are good, then the thought that created these resut could have been from God, but not necessarily. Lately, though, I've wondered if the painful things I'm going through are of Him, even though they're so hurtful. Thus, even in retrospect, it is difficult to know if an idea is of God or myself. Daniel doesn't seem to have this problem. He smoothly segues from his own reasoning to ideas implanted into him by the spirit. Furthermore, he has no difficulty knowing that the outcome is of God abd not merely the consequences of and idea from/in himself.