Slack Not In Distress

When I was a little girl my sisters, brothers and I would go to this haunted houses at the fair park. One by one we would go in the house. I would be very conscious about showing how fearful I was because I never wanted to be teased about being a scary cat. I would gather up my feelings and hold my breath and go through. As I went through my heart would be racing.

The house was dark, cold, and loud howling noises; along with people screaming of fear could be heard through out the house. When something would jump out I would close my eyes tight anticipating someone to come from behind and push me along from the frightful atrocious thing coming at me. As I headed out the house, there stood my sisters and brothers on the outside cheering, “Run for your life.” Finally I could take a deep breath, smiling with a sense of triumph, “I made it through!”

As an adult I still have some haunted houses to go through. Each haunted house is like a dreadful pit with scary things coming from left to right. The difference from when I was a child and now is, then it was all for fun. However, as an adult each haunted house is like an exam. On the other side of this test is me getting closer and closer to my destiny.

I commit to memory, the story of Benaiah. “He went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen,” (2 Sam 23: 20).

I imagine like my haunted house he could not see in his pit, he could hear the frightful atrocious lions roar inside. Benaiah walked up to the pit as I. He jumps in defeating the lion.

Benaiah tackled his greatest fear, knowing he could be chased out of his destiny. It was after he defeated the lion that King David made him chief of his body guards. King Solomon made him commander over the army of Israel. “The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab," (1 Kings 2:25).

Like Benaiah, we have to confront our greatest fear. We can not run our race to our destiny carrying our burdens; we must have stamina as Benaiah. We have to be alert, “be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1(Pet 5:8).

Your greatest opportunity will present itself as your greatest lion. If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited (Prov 24:10). Your greatest desire could be right there but you are afraid of the lion.

Maybe you feel faint. Perhaps your lion is roaring right in your face, but what will you do? Will you thrust through and defeat the lion or anticipate magically being pushed through?

Allow God to strengthen you. Ask God to place His amour on you. Pray that you come out with victory, even if you come out limping. Ask God for favor while you are in your pit. For Gods opportunity is His gift to you.