Lions At The Gate
Some of the people we consider friends are in reality ferocious lions that ensure we don't even dare to get out
of the box to fulfil our destinies.
David woke up one day to a terrifying realization: his soul lay in the midst of lions, among ravenous beasts – "men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords" (Psalm 57:4). Who were these lions, these ravenous beasts that were ready to tear his soul with their teeth and destroy him with the sharp swords of their tongues?
The obvious suspects would have been the Philistines. They had good reason to hate David and to desire his destruction. After all, had David not killed Goliath their champion and caused them to be humiliated by Israel in battle?
But the lions David spoke about were not the obvious enemies. The beasts were his people, his comrades, his kinsmen and countrymen. These were the enemies of his soul. Somehow they had undergone this dramatic transformation from seeing David as a hero to whom they owed their very lives, to enemies who were determined to destroy him.
There are disturbing moments in life when, like David, we discover we are surrounded by lions, when we find out our friends, brothers, kinsmen, countrymen have become ravenous beasts that are ready to do more than just roar against us. There are those chilling moments when the Spirit of the Lord warns us that we dream in the presence of our friends at the risk of our dreams, that our friends have become the dragon of Revelation 12:4 which "stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born."
Who are the enemies of your dreams, the lions at the gates of your life that are determined to stop you from becoming the person God wants you to be? For Joseph it was his brothers. It was those who knew him most who were determined to stop God's plan for his life. For you it might be the wise counselors who caution you to be "practical", but who become ferocious opponents when you do not take their "advice". For the young boy out there, it might be the "homies" in your gang who jump you because you express a desire for a different and better lifestyle.
The lesson we learn from Jesus is that life is too short to allow our friends to be in the way. When Peter tried to stand between him and the fulfillment of his call in Matthew 16, the Lord was quick to call Peter out, telling him in the 23rd verse: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Are your friends real friends? If they are, they will let God be God in your life, and will get out of the way so God's purpose can be fulfilled.
of the box to fulfil our destinies.
David woke up one day to a terrifying realization: his soul lay in the midst of lions, among ravenous beasts – "men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords" (Psalm 57:4). Who were these lions, these ravenous beasts that were ready to tear his soul with their teeth and destroy him with the sharp swords of their tongues?
The obvious suspects would have been the Philistines. They had good reason to hate David and to desire his destruction. After all, had David not killed Goliath their champion and caused them to be humiliated by Israel in battle?
But the lions David spoke about were not the obvious enemies. The beasts were his people, his comrades, his kinsmen and countrymen. These were the enemies of his soul. Somehow they had undergone this dramatic transformation from seeing David as a hero to whom they owed their very lives, to enemies who were determined to destroy him.
There are disturbing moments in life when, like David, we discover we are surrounded by lions, when we find out our friends, brothers, kinsmen, countrymen have become ravenous beasts that are ready to do more than just roar against us. There are those chilling moments when the Spirit of the Lord warns us that we dream in the presence of our friends at the risk of our dreams, that our friends have become the dragon of Revelation 12:4 which "stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born."
Who are the enemies of your dreams, the lions at the gates of your life that are determined to stop you from becoming the person God wants you to be? For Joseph it was his brothers. It was those who knew him most who were determined to stop God's plan for his life. For you it might be the wise counselors who caution you to be "practical", but who become ferocious opponents when you do not take their "advice". For the young boy out there, it might be the "homies" in your gang who jump you because you express a desire for a different and better lifestyle.
The lesson we learn from Jesus is that life is too short to allow our friends to be in the way. When Peter tried to stand between him and the fulfillment of his call in Matthew 16, the Lord was quick to call Peter out, telling him in the 23rd verse: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Are your friends real friends? If they are, they will let God be God in your life, and will get out of the way so God's purpose can be fulfilled.
Comments