No fault to find
Daniel's enemies search for dirt
Daniel's rivals, jealous of his rise, set out to destroy him the usual way — by digging up dirt. They combed through his public conduct and his private dealings looking for corruption or negligence, and they came up empty.
Their conclusion is one of the great backhanded compliments in Scripture: We will find no occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it concerning the law of his God. His integrity was so consistent that the only way to attack him was to attack his faithfulness to God itself. He had given them nothing else to use.
“We will find no occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it concerning the law of his God.”
— Daniel's accusers — Daniel 6:5 (WEB)
Let your integrity be so consistent that the only accusation anyone can make is that you are faithful to God. Give critics nothing else to use.
“Keep your behavior excellent among the nations... that they may see your good works and glorify God.”
Daniel's character held up under hostile audit because it was the same in public and private. A leader formed here lives so consistently that an enemy's investigation would come up empty. He has no quiet corners he hopes no one examines. The inner work is a wholeness that fears no scrutiny.
Conduct yourself so that opposition research finds nothing but faithfulness. Close the gaps between your public conduct and private dealings before anyone goes looking. Build a track record consistent enough that attacks have to be manufactured. Let excellence and integrity, not spin, be your protection.
Leaders keep a few areas they would rather not have examined, assuming no one will look that hard. The blind spot is the quiet corner that an enemy, or simply the light, will eventually find.
Imagine someone hostile auditing your conduct this week. Find the one thing you would least want examined, and address it — close the gap so the only thing left to find is faithfulness.
Most leaders have a few things they would rather not have examined too closely. Daniel had none — his enemies audited his whole life and the only charge they could manufacture was that he prayed to God.
If people who wanted to destroy you combed through your conduct, what would they find — and what would that say about the consistency of your integrity?