1 Peter 5:6ff, " So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith... In
his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of
Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will
restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm
foundation. All power to him forever! Amen."
I am so proud of my team. Most all of you are young, (early 20's at best ;). Look at how you are focused. Look at the gigantic event you are putting together. Look at how God brought all of you together at just the right time for this particular part He has designed just for you! I want to encourage you to keep it up. Don't give up right here at the end. If Satan can keep this Kick Off from happening, then he has won by default, before the fight even began.
Lions. Your enemy roams around like a roaring lion, but this enemy is like Scar in "The Lion King". Scar, he had a group of very crocked followers. Remember, how he used Simba's wants and his uncontrolled imagination to trick him into going to the elephants grave yard. Then right after Simba was caught in his disobedience to his father, how did Scar trick him? Guilt! Look at what you did, look at how you failed.... run, run far away. Everyone knows you, you have no business being up there now do you. But the focus was never about Scar, he was a lion who tried to get everyone sidetracked. He tried to come in and by using smoke and mirrors, he had them fooled. "Look over here. Focus on this and you can't see that you are starving...."
Aslan, another lion. When you see and think of Narnia, what do you remember? "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," the question is raised about
whether Aslan is `safe.' The reply is "No, he is
not safe, but he is good." I loved this line. He is Not safe. He is good. There is a certain fear that comes with trusting God. What if, all of the what if's come into place. There is a great amount of the unknown, but aren't you a generation that says they want the challenge! You do not want to just sit around in front of the computer and watch someone else live. You want to step out and experience this life for yourself. Aslan is not safe, but he is good. Look at the adventure in front of you. Can you see that it is not safe? I know you can. Can you see that it is good... So Good!!!
There are references all over the bible about lions. It is our choice on which one we listen to. Scar, he has a mighty roar, but it is one that is trying to trick you and make you weak. He comes in sly and under the cover of darkness, when he can get you all alone and make you see all of your faults. Then the focus is changed from the father to yourself. All that you can hear is your voice and the doubt that travels through your heart. Aslan, a true lion. He never comes in to trick or hurt, but he is not safe. We will all have times of fear and times when we feel alone on this journey, but if you keep your eyes upon the target, at just the right time you will know He is walking with you through the forest.
We follow the Lion of Judah. Judah and Benjamin were the smallest and seemingly weakest tribes in all of Israel. But from these seemingly small tribes came a power that changed the world. Genesis 49:9, "Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?" We are from this pride of lions. We are followers of the true King. We are small, but our voice will be heard!
I want to encourage you to keep in the fight and to Not give up. You may do things that make you feel you shouldn't be up there. You may feel like your role is not valued enough. You may have other offers that seem better and entice you to go join their group. You may feel like this is not for you, but I want to encourage you to continue. Philippians 3:14, " I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Press on through the challenges. Press on and keep the end in sight. Press on and lets do this thing!
"But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus,
the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of
self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14).
When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to
lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never
even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate
expression of love." (Oswald Chambers) Sacrifice and Friendship
Look around you. Who is in your pride? Who is counting on you, in your seemingly small part? This is your place. Are you going to keep your focus on God and listen to His voice? We can all be led astray by listening to "Scar's" whispers. This is the time to shake off the temptations to give up and press on. The last few miles are the hardest, but once you press through God will give you a second burst of energy. You can do this. I know you can!! For I did not choose you for this job. Think about it.... You were chosen by God Himself!
