I don’t think a lot of people realize the power they have to make things happen.  I was guilty of not believing that, but as I look back on the things I have done, I realize I am a lot bolder than I thought. I recently read a book that a sweet friend recommended called ‘In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. GREAT READ!!!! It talks about how to survive and thrive when opportunity roars. This book spoke right to my heart. It made me think about some of the choices I have made over my lifetime and although I thought I was weak and timid, it turns out that I am a risk taker.

I sometimes refer to my past as a whole lot of bad choices. BUT what I have come to realize is I also made a whole lot of Good choices. Bold choices. I have never been afraid to try new things. I believe that if you don’t try, you will never know.  It takes courage to step out on Faith and take a chance of failing. Sure you can go the easy route, the safe route and work hard for the rest of your life and live with regrets, and the “what ifs”. I would rather fail a thousand times than to never had tried at all. One of the greatest things that can happen to you is that your fears become a reality. I know! You’re thinking “are you crazy???”. Opportunities often times look like obstacles, so when you overcome those obstacles you have won a major battle. I am now grateful for all of the bad things that I have endured because they prepared me for the good things. I am now able to see all the good that came from the ugliness. Sometimes it’s not about changing our circumstances but rather, changing our perspective. That seems like a simple statement but it can sometimes mean the difference between life or death.  You see the circumstances you complain about can become the chains that imprison you. So while I can’t change what has happened to me I can change the way I view it. It made me who I am today and if you read my last post you know that I LOVE ME!!!!!! AND God loves me!!!

Now I want to talk about a man named Benaiah. Benaiah is one of those cool background characters that’s only mentioned a few times in the Bible, but whenever he shows up, he’s doing something incredible.

1. Benaiah was in charge of David’s guard

The President of the United States has the Secret Service, and David had a personal guard as well. Benaiah was honored among David’s mighty men, and so David puts him over the bodyguards (2 Sa 23:23).

And boy, did David need bodyguards. There’s always going to be someone who wants the king dead, but David had some high-profile enemies. For example, half the book of First Samuel is about king Saul hunting David down. Saul knows God plans to give the kingdom to David, so Saul tries to kill off the threat to his throne.

And even after Saul dies, Benaiah has his work cut out for him. David’s son Absalom tries to steal the kingdom, and for a while David is on the run again.

But David lives. Benaiah does his job well.

2. Benaiah commands David’s mercenary forces

He didn’t oversee the Hebrew army (that was Joab’s job), but Benaiah did oversee the Cherethites and Pelethites: some nonJewish mercenary forces who fought for David.

Benaiah does, however, take a one-month shift once a year as the leader of David’s army (1 Ch 27:5–6).

3. Benaiah’s father is a priest

Jehoida was a leader among the priests, and had rallied 3,700 men to support David when he was crowned at Hebron (1 Ch 12:21). This means Benaiah is from the tribe of Levi, and a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel.

4. Benaiah’s grandfather was a valiant man, too

The authors of both Samuel and Chronicles tell us that Benaiah’s grandfather was a valiant man from the town of Kabzeel (2 Sa 23:20; 1 Ch 11:22). We don’t know anything else about him, though.

5. Benaiah killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day

That’s the part everyone remembers about Benaiah (2 Sa 23:20; 1 Ch 11:22), but there’s more to it than that. Right before telling us about the lion, the authors tell us something else Benaiah did …

6. Benaiah killed two Moabite heroes (Ariel)

Here’s where we miss some of the cool wordplay in the Bible. Our English versions will say something like, “he killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab” (2 Sa 23:20). That makes us think, “Oh, yeah. Some guy named Ariel had two sons, and Benaiah killed them.”

But OT scholars are still divided on what “sons of Ariel” means. The word Ariel is very similar to the Hebrew word for “lion,” aryeh. The KJV even translates Ariel as “lionlike men.”

If the word is related to lions, then that makes the passage about Benaiah even more epic: “Benaiah was a mighty man. He killed two heroes that were as strong and brave as lions. Also, the dude killed an actual lion.”

7. Benaiah killed an Egyptian giant

David killed Goliath, but he’s not the only giant slayer in the group. Benaiah kills a pretty tall Egyptian—five cubits, or about seven feet tall (1 Ch 11:23).

And he does it in a pretty impressive way, too. The Egyptian has an enormous spear (weaver’s beam–sized), and Benaiah has nothing but a little club. But no worries: Benaiah just snatches the spear from the Egyptian and kills him with that instead.

That’s hardcore.

8. Benaiah makes Solomon king

David had sworn that his son Solomon would be king in his place, but not everyone is rooting for Solomon.

In fact, one of Solomon’s good-looking half-brothers , Adonijah, declares himself king … while David is still alive. Of course, Adonijah is out of line.

Benaiah, however, is loyal to David, and fully backs Solomon (1 Ki 1:36–37). His mercenary army parades Solomon to his coronation (1 Ki 1:38–40). And Benaiah is the one who kills off the men who oppose Solomon (1 Ki 2:24–25, 34, 46), including David’s treacherous army commander Joab.

9. Benaiah becomes Solomon’s general

Having secured the throne for Solomon, Benaiah receives a place of even higher honor in the kingdom. Solomon gives Benaiah Joab’s old position: commander of the king’s army (1 Ki 2:35, 4:4).

Although Benaiah was a great warrior and had many feats. The most talked about was killing the lion in a pit on a snowy day.  The significance of this is “facing your fears”. I firmly believe that there are no coincidences. I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. Sometimes we think we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes we beat ourselves up for ending up in those circumstances but guess what? There are no accidents. We all have a path to follow and a journey to take. We may take a few side roads but we eventually get there. So when you find yourself in a difficult situation you have two choices. You can turn and run away from the lion or you can chase the lion. Most of the time we are chasing the lion and we don’t even realize it. Some examples of lion chasing skills are:

Defying odds

Facing fears

Reframing problems

Embracing uncertainty

Taking risks

Seizing opportunities

Looking foolish

I don’t know about you but at some point in my life I have had to face every single one of these. I never really had anyone point them out to such a degree that made me look at them as skills. But after reading about Benaiah I realized that I have survival skills. Now I may not have chosen to be so bold had I not been in the situations I found myself in. I always said that I was forced to survive in a bad situation. But I had a choice. To run from the lion or chase the lion. As I read the words I began to feel excited and I began to look at myself in a whole new light. I knew that I had overcome but I now know that I made the choice to overcome and that in itself is a great feeling. Lion chasers thrive in the toughest circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. Did you hear me? Lion chasers thrive in the toughest circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. I could just leave that right there and be done. This is EXCITING!!!!! This is my life!!!!!!

Does your life reflect any situations that required you to make the choice to run from the lion or to chase the lion? Do you face fears in life? Let me answer that for you – YES YES YES. Everyone has fears, though it be small fears or large fears it still grips every part of your being and is at times debilitating. I can remember cowering in the corner over the smallest of situations that required confrontation of any kind. I can remember crying out to God to remove me from the situation so that I would not have to face my demons. And as you know, He never removed me. He did however equip me with the skills to chase that lion into that pit and kill it. (so to speak)

*******You will look back longingly on risks not taken, opportunities not seized, and dreams not pursued. Stop running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture, a blessed and audacious act that left no regrets: “Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it” (2 Samuel 23:20 -21).

Hugs and kisses.