Stay in the StorySample

It’s about the Chase //  If I were to bet, there’s a chance you have not heard of Benaiah.  Mark Batterson, Pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. was actually the first to draw my attention to his character in the bible as David’s bodyguard.  The impressive part isn’t just that he was King David’s bodyguard; it's that Benaiah just so happened to kill a LION, in a pit on a snowy day, with his bare hands!  (Now who wouldn’t want this man for their personal bodyguard, right?!) 

I'm guessing you may have been asked at one point of your life: "What would you do or go after if you knew you couldn't fail?"  However, what if you were asked this question: If you knew that you still might fail, what dream would you STILL go after because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't?! Makes you think a bit more, huh?  

So, if faith is being sure of things unseen, our faith grows when we get to know God more and become more sure of who He is.  Have you ever considered that faith is also the process of UN-learning our fears? As we grow in our revelation of God's love for us; we become FREE from all other fears because He trumps them all. It is when we know that God is on our side we are equipped with the bravery to run towards the dreams that are destined to fail without God! I like to think God is working behind the scenes to gloriously show up and show off! For me, I don’t sit too long in asking myself: “What I would do if I knew I couldn’t fail?” Because chances are in life that we might fail a time or two.  

For me, when I think about failure in certain aspects of my dreams/vision for life it doesn’t matter.  For me I know I couldn't live with myself if I didn't fight for people’s freedom and the desire to communicate HOPE. For people to understand their value and worth and the freedom they have access to in knowing Jesus is what keeps driving me! Even if I fail in spreading hope, or fail in connecting with someone to deliver a message of freedom, I know that I know that I know I couldn’t live with myself if I wasn’t doing something about it.  

As the bible is filled with incredible men and women who had the courage to chase after what they felt God called them to, we can look to these stories to gain the courage to face our fears and chase our dreams too!

Benaiah had the chance to face his fears when he got stuck in a pit with a lion. David faced Goliath and killed him! Esther pleaded for her people before a king and he listened(but didn't have to!) Mary went shopping for maternity clothes as a virgin. Noah built an Ark without experiencing rain. Peter walked on water but could've stayed in the boat... Luther fought for the right of people to access God's word. MLK Jr. stood up for black rights and his dream. Churches started from a couple's call to move into an unfamiliar new city. People experienced freedom when Celebrate Recovery was championed and they saw others set free.  A21 was started when an orphan realized her place as a child of God and desire for others to see that freedom too. Remote villages came to understand Christ’s love for them when a couple felt called to deliver the gospel to the hard to reach places.  Inmates in prison experienced new life when ex-cons turned back towards the confined to deliver hope.  And I’ll bet your life was impacted when you heard someone’s story and learned of your chance to make an impact...

Your dream won't dissolve when you read things like this....

So...What dream are you chasing?  What fear are you running away from?

As Batterson reminds us in Chasing the Lion: "It's not about winning and losing. It's not about success and failure. There comes a point when it's about obedience. When God puts that lion in your path, where you have the courage to step out in faith and go after it!!"

Tell that lion to stop roaring and step into that dream! After all “Perfect love casts out fear."

RESPOND:

What dream/vision keeps you awake at night? IF you knew that you still might fail, what dream would you STILL go after because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't go after that dream?

What are you afraid of? Would confronting this help propel you towards your dream being fulfilled? What are you waiting for?

PRAYER:

Father, as I look towards my dreams of what could be, give me the courage to respond to what you’ve put on my heart.  Lord show me, that despite my fears, YOU are bigger.  Lord give me a holy confidence to step towards what you are calling me to and as I trust in you to continue leading the way; wipe away the obstacles and show me confirmation I am heading in the right direction. Give me the courage to take action today. Show me what I'm passionate about. Like Benaiah was given a holy confidence and courageous spirit, I ask for that too. It's in your name I pray, Jesus. Amen.