Thank you for joining me today for a new Faith Impressions Bible Journaling and Devotion – Kill the Lion!
To see the full tutorial for this Bible Journaling page, join my Facebook Group: Gel Press – Faith Impressions.
Sometimes we have to face the lion…sometimes we have the kill the lion.
Recently I was preparing for a Facebook Live in my Faith Impressions Facebook group and was deciding on what scripture to use. I began thinking about the idea of Daniel and the lion’s den and how he faced down the lions and came out unharmed. To me, just facing the lions didn’t seem like enough.
To find REAL freedom… sometimes we have to KILL the lion.
That led me to 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel 17:34-37
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
These verses take place right as David is trying to convince King Saul that he was the perfect candidate to slay the giant Goliath. I don’t believe David meant this as a prideful statement. I think he was giving all glory to God for bringing him through it.
God could have easily saved David from the lion and and allowed the lion to move on, allowing David to go back to shepherding.
Why didn’t He?
I believe the answer is in verse 34…the lion “carried away a sheep from the flock.”
It wasn’t JUST about David. It was about the sheep that David was protecting. Sheep have always represented innocence, community and most importantly, sheep represent God’s people. Killing the lion wasn’t just about David showing his strength. It was symbolic of the need to protect God’s people.
What’s the difference?
How do we know if we should stand or fight?
It all comes down to our focus.
If I were in a toxic relationship, I would have 2 choices: reset my boundaries to protect myself or cut ties completely. The first is an example of standing against the lion. I would be back in control and the relationship would be allowed to live. The second is an example of killing the lion. This lion will destroy my heart and can no longer be allowed access to my life.
And lions can be anything: relationships, jobs, dreams, projects, etc. And it is not always “bad” or “toxic” things that can become lions in our lives. I can allow “Good” things to become lions if they pull my attention away from Christ.
Will it Hurt?
Yeah… probably. We read that David “struck” the lion and “pulled it’s hair.” With that close of contact, there is not doubt that David sustained some kind of injury. The temporary pain, however, was worth it to David in exchange for the life of the sheep.
And just like that sheep…YOU are worth the temporary pain.
YOU are worth fighting and killing the lion for.
YOU are worth rescuing.
YOU are strong enough to do it.
I hope you will take today to remember your own strength in Christ. He has given you victory over the lions of your life, no matter how scary they might be.
God Bless,
Keri
P. S. Check out other Faith Impressions Projects here:
