Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small

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It is common for lion prides to hunt collectively to take down larger prey like water buffaloes. Lions are known for utilizing group hunting strategies to score a successful hunt. Firstly, lions will often coordinate by stalking, surrounding, and then ambushing the prey. Through teamwork, they surround the prey which causes panic and confusion among the threatened animals. This will help to reveal which animals are younger or weaker if they are stalking a herd. This is a wake-up call to stop living as if the purpose of life was to simply arrive safely at death. Our dreams should scare us. They should be so big that without God they would be impossible to achieve. Quit running away from what you’re afraid of. Chase the Lion” is a book length exposition of a little-known passage of Scripture in 2 Samuel 23:20, about a man named Benaiah who, on a snowy day, chased a lion into a pit and killed it. Every man or woman who dreams of accomplishing great things in life, and desires to achieve what they were created and destined to do and be, will glean much insight and motivation from Benaiah’s lion encounter, and all the rest of Batterson’s writing. As he points out, “If your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small.” Everyone expects the lion to strut out, shaking its mane. But no. Ahuman form reaches up and climbs out of the pit. Drops of blood color thesnow crimson. Claw marks crisscross Benaiah’s spear arm. But against all odds, the valiant warrior from Kabzeel earns an epic victory. In the wild, man versus lion scripts the same way every time. Man runs; lion chases; king of the beasts eats manwich for lunch. But Benaiah flips the script. That’s what courage does! I don’t know if it was the look in his eye or the spear in his hand, but the lion turns tail and Benaiah gives chase.

When the image of a man-eating beast travels through the optic nerve and into the visual cortex, the brain sends the body a simple but urgent message: run away! That’s what normal people do, but not lion chasers. Rather than seeing a five-hundred-pound problem, they see an opportunity for God to show up and show His power. Lions are unique among cats in that they live in a group, or pride. The members of a pride typically spend the day in several scattered groups that may unite to hunt or share a meal. A pride consists of several generations of lionesses, some of which are related, a smaller number of breeding males, and their cubs. The group may consist of as few as 4 or as many as 37 members, but about 15 is the average size. Each pride has a well-defined territory consisting of a core area that is strictly defended against intruding lions and a fringe area where some overlap is tolerated. Where prey is abundant, a territory area may be as small as 20 square km (8 square miles), but if game is sparse, it may cover up to 400 square km. Some prides have been known to use the same territory for decades, passing the area on between females. Lions proclaim their territory by roaring and by scent marking. Their distinctive roar is generally delivered in the evening before a night’s hunting and again before getting up at dawn. Males also proclaim their presence by urinating on bushes, trees, or simply on the ground, leaving a pungent scent behind. Defecation and rubbing against bushes leave different scent markings. In addition to being one of the most well-known animals, lions also have a lot of spiritual and cultural significance. In the medieval and middle ages, lions became popular features in heraldry, the art of designing coats of arms to be worn on armory and regalia. Based upon 2 Samuel 23, Chase the Liontells the true story of an ancient warrior named Benaiah who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day—and then killed it. For most people, that situation wouldn’t just be a probWhen the image of a man-eating beast travels through the optic nerve and into the visual cortex, the brain relays an urgent message to the body: run! That’s what normal people do, but normal is overrated. Lion chasers don’t run away; lion chasers run to the roar. They don’t see a five-hundred- pound problem; they seize opportunity by the mane. They don’t take flight; they fight to the death for their dreams.

In this highly anticipated sequel to his best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson invites lion chasers everywhere to chase dreams so impossible that victory demands we face our fears, defy the odds, and hold tight to God. Written in a way that both challenges and encourages, this revolutionary book will help unleash the faith and courage you need to identify, chase, and catch the five-hundred-pound dreams in your life. Benaiah walks away from the pit while moviegoers breathe a sigh ofrelief. But Benaiah isn’t walking away; he’s getting a running start. The audience gasps as Benaiah turns around and takes a flying leap of faith, disappearing into the darkness. A deafening roar echoes off the walls of the cavernous pit, followed by a bloodcurdling battle cry. Based upon 2 Samuel 23, Chase the Lion tells the true story of an ancient warrior named Benaiah who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day—and then killed it. For most people, that situation wouldn’t just be a problem…it would be the last problem they ever faced. For Benaiah, it was an opportunity to step into his destiny. After defeating the lion, he landed his dream job as King David’s bodyguard and eventually became commander-in-chief of Israel’s army under King Solomon.

Mark Batterson reminds us to trust in the powerful truth that with God we don’t have to let our thinking be limited. By obeying Him, we let our growing faith push us to dream big and lean in ever closer to Him without fear or hesitation. It’s time to trust in our God, who allows us to accomplish things that seem bigger than we could ever imagine!” Chase the Lion fosters an expansive mind-set that drives our willingness to dream bigger than ever before. This mind-set is a choice, a decision, and a belief that God designed and created each of us for greatness, nothing less. If we aren’t courageous and bold enough to extend ourselves and believe that God will give us the capacity for greatness, we will have cheated our potential. This book is for anyone scared of not achieving the real greatness they are capable of.” Based upon 2 Samuel 23, Chase the Liontells the true story of an ancient warrior named Benaiah who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day—and then killed it. For most people, that situation wouldn’t just be a problem…it would be the last problem they ever faced. For Benaiah, it was an opportunity to step into his destiny. After defeating the lion, he landed his dream job as King David’s bodyguard and eventually became commander-in-chief of Israel’s army under King Solomon. In this highly anticipated sequel to his best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day , Mark Batterson invites lion chasers everywhere to chase dreams so impossible that victory demands we face our fears, defy the odds, and hold tight to God. Thank you for listening! Please reach out if you need prayer, want to talk, or have questions about ANYTHING! GOD BLESS YALL!

A message of faith and endurance from my dear friend and sister-in-Christ Megan Cox. Megan shares her ground breaking testimony of walking through an unplanned pregnancy at 17 and what that journey was like as a christian. In her testimony, she recounts the shame and judgment she felt from the world but how her faith in God brought her to a river that is now overflowing with blessings. If you have ever felt like the weight of your burdens are too much to bear or you want to hear a story of hope and redemption from someone who has been through the fire, you will want to give this podcast a listen. One of the better motivational books I’ve read, “Chase the Lion” gets especially high marks for readability, and for numerous, on-point illustrations and examples from the lives and experiences of people in all walks of life. Author Mark Batterson also includes many of his own stories and adventures (both victories and lessons learned) from his years as a Pastor and church leader. At the end of our lives, our greatest regrets will be the God-ordained opportunities we left on the table, the God-given passions we didn’t pursue, and the God-sized dreams we didn’t go after because we let fear dictate our decisions. Creative. Inspiring. Challenging. Batterson’s writings always leave us encouraged, and Chase the Lion is no exception. If you feel as if life has caused you to shrink the size of your dreams, this book is for you!” Nomadic groups often consist of many males who band together to share hunting responsibility. As shown in the video below, nomadic groups can be especially successful in hunting large prey, as they have power in numbers. Lions Are Cultural IconsMy name is Jena Kelly and I am so blessed that you are here! The heart of this podcast is to shed a light on the fears that attempt to steal kill and destroy our lives and study how God's word guides us in our struggle with the fear. Fear is all around us. From the time we are born until the day we die, Satan prowls around placing fear on every part of our lives that he can get his paws on. However, we have a God who gives us the power to Chase the "roaring lion" out of our lives. God declares victory over your life and he will give you the strength to live boldly and courageously despite your broken past! All you have to do is take the first step toward facing your fears, and God will see you through to the end! Don't give Satan another moment of your precious life. Chase the Lion! There is a brand of religiosity that seems satisfied with breaking even— don’t do this, don’t do that, and you’ ll be okay. The problem with that is this: you can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Breaking even is breaking bad. God has called us to play offense with our lives. Those who simply run away from what’s wrong will never amount to more than half Christians. The only way to tap your God-given potential, to fulfill your God-ordained destiny is to chase five-hundred-pound lions. Most people believe God is real, but few people actually live like it. The re- sult is a widening gap between their theology and their reality. They allow their circumstances to get between them and God instead of letting God get between them and their circumstances. Lion chasers measure every- thing against almighty God, including five-hundred-pound lions. That’s the difference between being a scaredy-cat and a lion chaser.