Beard the Lion

Is the glass half full or half empty?

Do you prepare for the worse and hope for the the best?

Is your back against the wall?

Are you stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Are you scraping the barrel?

Living in the doldrums?

Perhaps you’re feeling down for the count?

I have spoken every one of these idioms a time or two; especially, in the past two weeks.

Guess what? 

They are lies! Death speak. Lack of faith.

Didn’t I write about who was in my driver’s seat not too long ago? 

It’s time to start burning bridges with my old self.

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

This verse reminds me that I’m not smelling enough roses on my journey. I’ve fallen into snare after snare cast by evil, not that I’m giving evil any credit. I’m cursing situations rather than praising Him. 

So, what is my hindrance?

Fear.

Fear is keeping the glass half empty using words like: what if, should have, if only, why.

There is no fear in Jesus. He is of goodness and light. He is the Prince of Peace. There’s no condemnation, failure, or embarrassment with the Father. 

When something happens, we must always look for Jesus. Find the good in the situation. Oh I know what you may be thinking. In fact I know what facial expression you’re wearing (because it’s the one I wear quite often, ask my husband).

😒

In Jesus there is hope. In whatever situation you may be facing, there is hope. It may not seem like it in the moment, but we cannot live by our feelings. Our feelings can easily deceive us. Bondage by fear is real, but so is Jesus.

Like Daniel, in the Lion’s Den, we can pray and hold onto faith. Burn bridges with our doubt, our fear. Walk away from our old selves, having eyes only for Jesus. No one else can save us. Not our friends, our spouses, and certainly not ourselves. 

Instead let’s:

Let the scales fall from our eyes.

Beard the lion.

Fully embrace that we are the apple of our Father’s eye.

Watch our Father move mountains.

My mama always said that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

In closing, there are ups and downs in our life journey but keeping our eyes on Jesus will help determine exactly how hilly our lives will be. When our eyes are focused on Him, how will we know the steepness of the hill? Take your eyes off of Him and you may find yourself stricken by fear, stuck at the apex of a mountain, not realizing that your safety gear is on and taking care of you. 

“I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12-14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Remember, we serve a God of mercy and grace. Love and promises. There is no shame. 

Lord-

Fear IS a liar and it robs us from your glorious victory! So right now, let’s light a match and leave the past. No more looking back. Instead Lord, give me strength to overcome negativity so that I may always view obstacles through your eyes. I ask for strength to always see struggles as times of opportunity and praise of your promises. Let’s look for the beautiful and not the ugly, the good and not the bad. Oh Lord, continue to refine me. 

Amen 

Note: If you enjoy idioms, the Bible is full of them! I encourage you to look for them as you read God’s Word. 

Morning Glory
Polk County, Missouri
September 1, 2022

Bless the wonderful conversation I had with a dear friend yesterday whom shared words from the Lord. Thank you for being such a faithful servant.