Have you ever had the opportunity to get up close to a real lion? If
you have, you would never forget the experience. Lions are incredibly
majestic, even when they are in captivity. There is something inside of
them that knows who they are and they carry a ferociousness that it
quite terrifying to their enemies.
Over the years, I have had
many opportunities to observe these beautiful creatures. Each time that I
have had a lion encounter, it has literally taken my breath away. At
one such occasion, I was standing face to face with only a thin cage and
a couple of feet separating us. When this king of the jungle roared at
me, his breath swept across my face as he showered me with his spray.
At the moment, I was absolutely overwhelmed and thrilled to experience
his majestic roar as it continued to reverberate around our concrete
surroundings.
In Proverbs 28:1, King Solomon contrasts the
lion heart of the righteous with the paralyzing fear that causes people
to run away from things that don't even exist. Solomon's father, King
David also spoke of this boldness in Psalm 27:1 when he proclaimed...
Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the
strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? (WEB)
Fear is a
powerful adversary. It lies to us. It cheats us. It prevents us from
walking in the truth. Fear is the root of worry. Fear paralyzes, it
torments, it causes people to hide in the shadows. Fear manifests itself
in many ways. Fear of the future. Fear of poverty. Fear of death. Fear
of sickness. Fear of man. Fear of rejection... and so on.
The
only real power that the enemy has over us is deception. Jesus called
him the 'father of lies' in John 8:44, so when he lies to us, he is
speaking his native language. His hope is that we would believe what he
says about us and not believe who God says we are. Jesus told us in
John 10:10 that his purpose is to kill, steal and destroy and fear is
one of his greatest weapons.
The Bible clearly tells us that God
has not given us the spirit of fear. The Apostle Paul wrote about this
in 2 Timothy 1:7... For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of
power, love, and self-control. (WEB) Another apostle, John wrote in 1
John 4:18... There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
(WEB)
The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil
'walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' I
believe that the emphasis should be that he walks around 'like' a
roaring lion but he is not a real lion. He just wants us to think that
he is. The REAL lion, is our Elder Brother, who has a name above every
other name and is called 'The Lion of Judah'.
In Hebrews 2:14-15
we read how our big brother Jesus took on the form of human flesh in
order to destroy the works of the one who has caused us to live in fear
all our lives... 14 Since then the children have shared in flesh and
blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through
death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil, 15 and might deliver all of them who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (WEB)
The
destiny that we have been called into, is that of being joined with
Jesus. His life is our life. His power is our power. His inheritance is
our inheritance. He has not given us a spirit that makes us a slave to
fear, but He has given us the Spirit of Sonship so that we can call out
to God and call Him our Abba, Father!
Romans 8:15-17 15 For
you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The
Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with
Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified
with him. (WEB)
You may be facing many challenges in your life
that may cause you to be afraid. Jesus told us in Luke 12:32 that we
don't have to be afraid because our Heavenly Father is delighted to
give us His kingdom. My prayer today is that each one of us would
experience a deeper revelation of the love of God in our hearts that
would drive all fear away.
May the eyes of our hearts be opened
today, so that we could see what our glorious inheritance is in the
saints (Ephesians 1:15-23). May we experience a new boldness rooted and
grounded in love that would cause us to live a life free from fear.
May we know that our Dad is the biggest, strongest Dad in the universe
and He has promised to keep us safe in His strong arms.
May we
have the security today in knowing that our Big brother, the Lion of
Judah, has triumphed once and for all (Revelation 5:5). May we all rest
in the unchangeable reality that one roar from Jesus will cause every
one of our enemies to flee in absolute terror... just because we are
part of God's amazing family!
In closing, I want to echo the
words that Paul said in Romans 16:20 to encourage you, strengthen you
and to comfort you... And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan
under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (WEB)