Chase the Lion (Multnomah Books, 2016)
Mark Batterson, head pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, recently published Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small. Mark’s latest book serves as a sequel to In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. When one encounters a five-hundred-pound lion, the brain relays an urgent message to the body: run! Lion chasers, however, run to the roar. They consider normal overrated.
As a result, lion chasers let God get between them and their circumstances, not vice versa. Therefore, you’re only one encounter or genesis moment- when God reveals Himself- from your destiny. To be prepared for that genesis moment requires understanding that you accept response-ability for the things that happen to you, even if you cannot control them. So, when God tells you to go “just a little farther,” a divine appointment may be close at hand. For God strategically positions us in the right place at the right time.
Lion chasers not only see, but seize, the decisive moment. They operated in a spirit of focus, not of fear. Lion chasers also recognize that closed doors represent some of God’s best premoves. Yet, to achieve your dreams, you must establish and practice daily disciplines. Obedience over along period of time equates to faithfulness. Faithfulness, in turn, undergirds your view- and view affects vision. And when God gives vision He makes provision! Your dream is from God and for God.
God’s working His plan, even when you perceive little or no evidence your plan’s moving forward. Therefore, in difficult seasons, give God the sacrifice of praise. Ultimately, how well we endure difficult seasons defines us. So when others give up, respond by stepping up. To make a difference, you need the courage not just to stand, but to stand alone. To achieve this, excuses must first be identified and then confessed.
In conclusion, Mark stresses that you find your destiny by looking at God. By looking at God, then, your destiny finds you. Yet, destiny also includes demonstrating faithfulness right where you are. Furthermore, a faithful spirit includes a posture of servanthood, necessary for God to place you in a position of leadership. Most importantly, you take the presence of God with you wherever you go. Your dream is a calling. Run to the roar!
