Lion Chasers

We will be meeting again tomorrow night at our home (email wgcoop10@yahoo.com for address/directions) at 6:30 PM. We will eat and move on through our book, as well as discuss our next service opportunity. Can't wait to see you guys there! 

The notes from Ch. 1 are posted below - these are Wes' notes for what we talked about 2 Tuesday's ago. 

Lions-Chapter 1 (3/6/12)

Read 2 Samuel 23:20-21-The Story of Benaiah

2 Key Themes /Concepts in this story:

                 -Fight vs. Flight

                 -Risk vs. Reward

*These 2 concepts are natural human filters that allow us to analyze situations and make decisions.  However, when we start seeing filtering situations through faith instead, it changes the way we make decisions, even seemingly mundane ones, and opens us up to being used and blessed by God in ways we could never imagine.*

 1) We have to resist the desire to flee when God-ordained opportunities cross our path.

 God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time.

The problem is, the right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time.

However, we don’t know what the future holds, and how God wants to use these opportunities to prepare us for future ministry.

2 ) We need to value the reward that God has in store for us over the risks that might come along the way

Lion chasers know that playing it safe is risky

Our greatest regrets in life will be missed opportunities

Sin of Commission vs. Sin of Omission

·     

      When we give into their fears and don’t step out in faith, we 

      1) miss out on the incredible blessings God has for us and 

      2) fail to give God the glory He desires in doing something crazy awesome through us

Closing thought/Take-away:  For lion chasers, it’s not about the size of the lion, the risks involved, or the potential outcome of the confrontation; it’s about stepping out in faith and trusting in a God that is bigger than you, a God that wants the absolute best for you, and a God that wants to use you demonstrate his power and glory to the world, regardless of what the outcome look like. 

Looking ahead:  

The key for us is two-fold- 

1) We need to be able to recognize these God-ordained opportunities and 

2) We need to be able to seize these God-ordained opportunities.  The rest of this book will shed insight into how we can do that.

Challenge: Begin asking God to bring “lions” into your life (if He hasn’t already!).  Ask for the discernment to recognize God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.  Ask Him what dreams/passions that you have that He wants you to act on.  Ask Him for the faith to seize those opportunities.