Chase that Lion

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?

Our Bible verse for today: “On a snowy day, he chased a lion into a pit and killed it.” 2 Samuel 23:20 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “Chase the lion”

This morning, I want to build on the devotional thought we have been developing over the last several days about starting this new year with the right attitude. Yesterday we considered the importance of approaching all of life with a spirit of boldness, confidence, and courage. That reminded me of a book written by Mark Batterson entitled, “Chase the Lion”.

The book is based on the passage from 2 Samuel 23:20 where we read about the man Benaiah, who was one of King David’s mighty men. Benaiah was known primarily for the fact that he chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and then killed it. The way the story reads however, is that he didn’t just do battle with a lion and kill it, but instead he chased after the lion, drove it into a pit, then jumped into the pit after it, fought it, and then killed it. It was a very impressive act of bravery and skill.

Mark’s book is all about leading a life of boldness and courage. The lessons in it are inspired by the example of Benaiah. Let me share a quote from the book that will help you to gain a glimpse of the kind of lessons we can learn from Benaiah’s example. In the introduction Mark writes:

“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-sized passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future. Face your fears. Fight for your dreams!” It’s a great little book and I recommend it to you.

As we learned in yesterday’s devotional message based on Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:7, we are not to approach any situation in life with a spirit of fear or timidity. Instead, we are to embrace the spirit of courage and boldness provided to us by God. That then must be our mindset as we go forward to engage the issues of life.

Far too often we let fear and doubt hold us back. We run away from challenges instead of towards them; we sacrifice our dreams – and even our destiny, on the altar of fear and doubt; we make excuses and we procrastinate. That simply should not be. That’s not the life God has called us to.

I encourage you to be bold rather than timid, courageous rather than fearful. Chase that lion rather than running away from it. It’s a well-proven truth that our problems and challenges become smaller when we do something about them.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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