#chasethelion

[saltandstranger]

WHEN CHASING LIONS: BE BOLD, NEVER SETTLE, DARE TO BELIEVE

So, here we are at the close of the 1st half of the year. And it's with twice as much hope & anticipation than at the start of the year that I look forward to what's ahead for the remainder of 2021.

I want take you to this incredible story in the Bible about courage, never settling, and about the relentless pursuit of the dreams that God has placed in your heart.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two lion-like men. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard. -1 Chronicles 11:22‭-‬25 ESV

I needed to pause when I first came across this passage in order to process it because clearly these are no small feats.

So this Mr. Benaiah, son of Jehoaida, from Kabzeel is not only a hero-conqueror, he's also a lion-slayer and a giant slaughterer. No wonder why he was captain of King David's bodyguard.

I wanna zero in on one of Beniah's three recorded mighty deeds: Benaiah slew a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen (1 Chron. 11:22)

Read it while imagining the scene unfold before your eyes. This is intense!!!

And this is such a special teaching moment because here we learn that while there are times when God delivers us from lions (like Daniel in the den with the lions), there are also times God gives us the strength and courage to slay them.

Now this happened during the most dire of circumstances when the ground was slippery and he could have easily lost his footing. Benaiah slew a lion in a pit. IN A PIT. In a pit. He was up against the worst possible beast, in the worst possible circumstance, and the worst possible place. And yet, he chased and slew that lion down the pit.

When's a good day to go kill a lion? There's none! I'd rather not face one thank you very much. But if a lion does come at you seemingly out of the blue, then let me ask you is there a better time other than TODAY to kill it?

You can't keep putting off the things that you know you need to do today. There are just times in your life when you've got to make up your mind and determine that it's NOW or NEVER.

I want to reference another story in Joshua 17 when the Israelites were being given their portion of land. The children of Manasseh complained that the land allotted to them had Canaanites living there.

And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.  -Joshua 17:13 NKJV

How many of us have grown strong through the trials and the fire, but still allow Canaanites to dwell in our land even when God's clear instruction is to drive them out completely? We can't keep sweeping things under the rug. We can't be partial with our obedience. We can't NOT slay that lion.

Eventually, you will have to run towards the very thing that you're afraid to confront, grab it by the throat, and face it head-on to finally and fully overcome it.

We can't keep waiting for the perfect circumstances before we move. If Benaiah waited for it to stop snowing, he would have been dinner. If he had been content to leave the lion in the pit, who knew if it would come after him? If there's one thing we should NEVER do this 2nd half of the year, or EVER- it's to settle for less.

Don't run away. Don't shy away from uncomfortable situations.

Brave confrontation even in the midst of inconvenience will often times set you up for great victories.

It's not new to us that the sequence of events the past year and a half have unfolded a certain way and so we found ourselves in this pit or cave. Yes we go through the coping or healing process. Yes we indeed had to pivot or adjust. But that doesn't mean we should settle. You've got to stop allowing the circumstances or past hurts, our shame, or our fears dictate our future or stop you from going after what God has for you! We need to make that choice to chase down the lions of impossibilities and fears into the pit and slay it right there.

What is it that you have your eyes on? What's your dream? What's the prayer of your heart that makes you go shikarababaseteyy? What has God been instructing you to do in this season?

I know "Today" looks different for each of us.  And so when I say don't put it off "today", what I mean os do not quench your spirit. If the instruction is to pray, don't put if off. If your dream is to buy a house, start looking for listings and saving up diligently. If you want to write a book, stop spending meaningless time on social media and just start writing. Don't be afraid to start small. Don't despise the days of small beginnings. It always starts with a seed anyway.

When I went through the entire ordeal last year with my heart and my health in the midst of the pandemic, I can't count how many times I wanted to quit being in the ministry because I felt so beat up. But what God did was make it all the more clearer to me where He wants to take me. And so to you who are reading this, I pray that your heart for God and His will for your life would be amplified all the more even in the midst of a day when snow is falling and you feel like you're up against a lion in a pit.

It takes supernatural courage I'll tell you that. But what's great is that courage and tenacity during times of relentless pursuit aren't personality-based. They are dependent on who God has called you to be. You see, the meaning of Benaiah's name is GOD BUILDS, and the meaning of his dad's name Jehoaida means GOD KNOWS. God loves you and KNOWS His plans for you and He KNOWS exactly where to take you. Trust that there is a purpose and a season for every activity under heaven.

God doesn't do things for nothing. He is always intentional with you. God is BUILDING you for something more than what you can ask, think, dream, or even imagine. So to you- hero conqueror, lion slayer, and giant slaughterer- be brave, never settle, and dare to believe.

-K 🌊

(Photo courtesy: @bravoprince on Unsplash)

[marco-polo-shutters]

Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

[made2flourish]

Reading Chase the Lion. I always think about action - but rarely inaction. Today I pray that my inactive becomes less and less. I feel like I am in a season of waiting - so inactivity has me itching. But I don’t want to be active simply to have something to do - I want to be about my Father’s business. If I am slow to be active, or to busy to say yes, I will miss moments that could have eternal ripple effects. Where are you in your journey? Do you ever feel similar to this? 2 Samuel 23:10 ❣💥 Reposted @followersthatlead #chasethelion #readersareleaders #followersthatlead #shemeansbusiness #femaleentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness  #stayinspired  #femaleentrepreneur #girlboss #thisgirlcan #bossbabes #fempreneur~~~~~~●□■♤♡♡◇♧~~~~ #AdventuresWithJesus #Plottwist #WorldChanger #Awakening #NationShaker #Revival  #Prophecy #SheSharesTruth #August2020 #KnowAngelique #Endtimes #Jesus #InxtaLove #Keto #SheSpeaksTruth #thankyoulordfortoday #jesusisthelord #godsgraceissufficient https://www.instagram.com/p/CEIIXBug6nd/?igshid=1tatepyqvdf16

[commentsfromthepeanutgallery1]

Friday feels 💪💯 · · @coachmarcmontoya x @virusintl · · S/O @therealjonesmma @factoryxmuaythaimma · · #factoryx #xonthechest #mma #bjj #nogi #mmatraining #rolling #brownbelt #muaythai #kru #markbatterson #chasethelion #motivation #inspiration #perspiration #cftpg (at Orange County, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCLzwLSAkHO/?igshid=1ib53qkje9eoe

[kellichunn]

You can't, but HE CAN!🙌⁠⠀ ACT on FAITH.⠀ If you pray regularly, irregular things will happen on a regular basis. ~Mark Batterson⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ #Godsizeddreams #prayitbelieveitreceiveit #actonfaith #giveHimtheglory #chasethelion #youcantbutHecan #dontputalimitonHim #chooseyour24 #believeHim #believeBig (at Philadelphia, Mississippi) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7luyGHhf6j/?igshid=bir8u0ul6gf4

[cuehappiness-blog]

#Repost @mshelllll (@get_repost) ・・・ We have been swiftly moving with huge leaps of faith. We have a lot that we're working on on top of our move & sweet baby Rori! Here's a reminder to anyone who feels they're biting more than they can chew. Keep working diligently & keep your head down. It will pay off! Be proud of yourself for doing what many won't. Stop worrying about if or how it will happen & BELIEVE it will! #ChaseTheLion

[thetallgirltellsall]

I⃣m⃣ n⃣o⃣ l⃣o⃣n⃣g⃣e⃣r⃣ a⃣ s⃣l⃣a⃣v⃣e⃣ t⃣o⃣ f⃣e⃣a⃣r⃣ • Why live in fear when we have the ultimate source of strength and assurance? His name silences fear, yet we silence Him, thinking we can find peace our own way. • I believe we all have dreams that scare us. Whether from past failures(🙋🏼), crippling perfectionism(🙋🏼), worrying what others will think(🙋🏼), that fear has no power when God is involved. His purpose for each of us is to use us TOTALLY beyond what we are capable of on our own. Why? Not to bring any accolades to our name, but solely to point all praise and glory back to Him for using us, His vessels, for whatever mission He has us here for in this 'gone-in-the-blink-of-an-eye' lifetime. I'm relinquishing fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of the unknown to the exhilarating journey of trusting God.🙌🏼 #nolongerslaves #joshua1v9 #fearless #godsizeddreams #chasethelion @markbatterson #trustgod #lovewarrior #livetobuildhisname #praise #blessup #mondaymotivation #ccvsocal #surrender (at CCV : Christ's Church of the Valley)

[metzcoaching-blog]

I really felt this urge to reread In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day today by @markbatterson It is one of my favorite books and God wanted to remind me of a few things. What lion is God calling you to chase? #chasethelion #unlearnyourfears (at Fort Worth, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/jmetzcoaching/p/BxDp3YGAB5Z/?igshid=1iuninglxe6oc

[candiceaking]

#lionchaser #manifesto #markbatterson #chasethelion #ifyourdreamdoesntscareyouitsnotbigenough #worth a #reread #personaldevelopment #doesntstop #invegas https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7wMNPAEZZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5ovmogf4g2u7

[erekashealthylivng]

My late night survival kit while I wait for bae to get home from work. Reading Chase the Lion by @markbatterson mark Batterson ....“if your dream doesn’t scare you,it’s too small” ... while I sip my favorite detox tea ☕️ + prep my lemon water 🍋to hold me over for the night.🌙 I always want to snack late at night especially on treats when I’m tired but it’s not as hard to fight the grumpy monster cravings when I have this yummy tea. Helps me get feel like I had something sweet and plus I get a good night sleep when my tummy all warm. Definitely have to bring my water bottle to bed with me so I’m not a dehydrated noodle in the morning. 😂😂😂 📚gotta catch my bookclub at 6:30am so I hope he’s back soon☀️#lenonwater #detoxtea #latenightpost #fitstagram #yummy #fitgirl #chasethelion #bookclub (at Acton, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpTn62knbmx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1u4vmpyskx7d9

[mamacravings]

This quote hits really close to home for me right now. It's hard to still be a fraction of "my best" 16 months after a stroke. Like stupid hard. Like I can't breathe at knowing that motivation and hard work won't get me past the limitations of my own physical abilities. I whined on that bit all morning....all right. fine I whined on it a lot. But here's the thing, y'all. As hard as this is for myself and for my family, the struggle and the failure and the crap of it all is not in vain. The way that we manage this makes us stronger, as individuals and as a family. Success is happening. And it's worth celebrating.  #suitesassypants #suiteandstrong #sassypants #suitespring #natural #yoga #yogamama #yogamom #namaste #healthy #balance #hippie #hippiemama #goalgetter #beyou #authentic #positivity #quote #quoteoftheday #markbatterson #chasethelion #disability #motherhood #momlife #boymom #clothdiapers #breastfeeding #normalizebreastfeeding #organic #lionheartedaf #strokelookslikeme

[bumblebeedelights]

Dare to dream, dare to try, dare to fail, dare to live... Dare and conquer tour fear(s) #chasethelion #dare #BabyGirlChronicles #AnotherJournalEntry #TrustingGod (at Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya)

[commentsfromthepeanutgallery1]

Knowledge is power, therefore you should never stop learning. I wasn't the biggest reader of books growing up, and I used about every hack and Cliff notes summary available to know the information for books back in school. What I realized was, I was just reading the wrong things, consuming information that didn't satisfy my palette. I even read most of the @gameofthrones series, but found that to be a laborious task due to the length despite the thrilling storyline. My interest in books instantly grew as soon as I started reading #CantHurtMe from @davidgoggins and #Relentless by @attackathletics since the summer of 2018, I've gotten through 18 books from @jockowillink @markbatterson @grantcardone @garyvee @aubreymarcus @jongordon11 @markmanson @robertgreeneofficial and @russ among a few others... A minimum of a book a month nowadays is a must for me. Sometimes that may mean rereading a book for a second or third time. I've gone start to finish with Can't Hurt Me multiple times because Goggins is the hardest sumbitch on the planet. I encourage you to feed your mind valuable content and information! #CFTPG · · · #knowledgeispower #neverstoplearning #feedyourmind #read #reading #readmorebooks #readbooks #garyvee #chasethelion #disciplineequalsfreedom #dichotomyofleadership #powerofapositiveteam #10xrule #energybus #artofwar #books #colorado (at The Peanut Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Z5UcsADvd/?igshid=1r4mqemxb2h9c

[kellichunn]

Set a Goal so BIG that you can't achieve it until you grow into the person who can!💖✨ #GODsizeddreams #chasethelion #beyourchange #believeinyou #youvegotthis #letthejourneybegin #chooseyour24 #newyear #newyou

[comradeculzacksblog]

But I've discovered on this dream journey that when you follow Jesus, you go places that are off the grid and meet people who are out of your league.

Mark Batterson

[house941-blog]

Happy Sunday! I started reading a new plan called Chase the Lion & im seriously in love already 😍 if you’re looking for a good plan or a good read, pick one up! 📖#chasethelion