“Benaiah…was a valiant fighter…he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion” – 2 Samuel 23:20
Rev. Chris Williams during our revival reminded us about one of King David’s mighty warriors. Benaiah can be such an awesome example to us. He was confident, crazy and committed. Think with me about this mighty man.
He was a Courageous Warrior [a valiant fighter] – Are you bold for the Lord? Can He count on you? The Scripture says, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” [2 Timothy 1:7]…It takes courage to meet the Lord every day in a guarded quiet time. It takes courage to live a Christ-like life in your home and in the workplace. It takes courage to come to the altar when God is convicting your heart. It takes courage to stand up for Jesus. It takes courage to live for Christ and to proclaim Christ in a non-Christian society. Will you be God’s Courageous Warrior?
He was a Lion-Chasing Warrior [went down…and killed a lion] – We aren’t sure, but maybe this lion had raided the sheepfolds, the livestock offerings from the tabernacle. Maybe it raided the orphanage and attacked some children. This mighty man was going to make sure the lion was destroyed…We too have a lion to face. In speaking of the devil God’s Word says “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” [1 Peter 5:8]…God expects us to join Him in being lion-chasers. All of us know plenty of people he has devoured, led astray, and pulled down with the devil into the pit…We need to stay close to the Lord so the devil lion can’t take us down. We need to stand for the things of the Lord when the devil is leading society away from God. We need to rescue as many as possible from the clutches of the roaring lion. Will you be God’s Lion-Chasing Warrior?
He was a All-Weather Warrior [on a snowy day] – It would have been much easier for Benaiah to have locked his door and cozied up to the fireplace than to go out in the cold and damp snow looking for the lion. But Benaiah could not do this. Someone had just lost a loved one to the lion. He could still hear the roaring, and the screaming, and the wrenching wail of a mother’s cry. It mattered not that it was night time, that it was cold outside, that there was snow on the ground. He was going to follow that trail of blood…Are you just a fair-weather Christian? There are people called of God who are waiting for better conditions. There are people with talent and ability waiting for better conditions. There are people who put off salvation waiting for better conditions… There are situations in our lives that cannot wait to be dealt with. Some things can’t be put off until a better day. Sometimes we need to stop procrastinating and get the job done. Some things in life are not going to wait for a sunny day. They must be dealt with immediately… We must be willing to leave the comfort zone of the four walls of our local Church and obey the great commission. God wants us to preach the gospel to every creature. Will you be God’s All-Weather Warrior?
He was a Fanatical Warrior [went down into a pit] – Benaiah was crazy to go down into a pit with a lion; only one of them was going to come out alive. And we know who had the advantage, don’t we? A sure bet in Vegas would have been on the lion. But Benaiah went down into the pit with God and he came back out again with God wearing a lion’s coat on that snowy day…Are you crazy for God? Are you ready to believe Him for and ready to join Him in what to us seems impossible? What are you involved in right now that can only be explained in terms of God? Is your God a pit descending God or a walk-in-the-park God? Would the world and God consider you a fanatic for Him? Will you be God’s Fanatical Warrior?
Have you been like your pastor, who at times can be a doubting, devil avoiding, fair-weather, comfort-zone, safe-in-the camp-sentry instead of a courageous, devil-chasing, all-weather, fanatical warrior on the front lines? Commander-in-Chief Jesus is calling out for us to go to our BATTLE STATIONS. Are we ready to go down into a pit with the Lord on a snowy day to take on His and our arch enemy the devil? Well, get your snow boots on and let’s go!
Strapping them on NOW,
Pastor Steve