Proverbs 22:13
The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
The difference between those who accomplish great things and those who plan on accomplishing great things is what they do with a good excuse. The slothful said that Goliath was too big to defeat; whereas, the diligent said that God would help him overcome the giant. The slothful said the Midianite army is too big to defeat; whereas, the diligent took three hundred men and defeated this great army. The slothful said we cannot go into the Promised Land because they are too strong for us; whereas, the diligent said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it.”
The Scriptures are filled with illustrations about the excuses of the slothful and the overcoming attitude of the diligent. The verse above says the slothful would not go out because he said there was a lion in the streets. Now, we don't know there was a lion in the streets, but the slothful used that as an excuse not to get up and do something. There are four traits you need if you are going to overcome your lion and do something great for God.
First, you need courage. Courage says I will not run from the lion. You can run from your excuses and do nothing, or you can have the courage to face them despite how difficult they may be. The size of the excuse means nothing if the size of your courage to overcome is greater than the excuse. All it takes to defeat your lion is courage. Courage is the difference between those who accomplish great feats and those who don't. Courage is a choice that decides to act, resulting in experiencing God's greatest miracles.
Second, you need initiative. Initiative says I will find a way to kill the lion. Initiative looks at the lion as an opportunity instead of an excuse. How you look at your lion determines what it becomes to you. Your lion will either be an excuse or an opportunity, but you are the one who makes that choice.
Third, you need faith. Faith says God will give me a way to kill the lion. You must have the faith that if God wanted you to go into the streets of life that He will give you the power to overcome the lion if it comes after you. Nobody has done anything great for God without the faith to face their lion. Certainly, the lion seems strong, but faith that God will deliver is what you need to overcome the lion and do something great for God.
Fourth, you need trust. Trust says my God is bigger than the lion because He has helped me in the past with greater battles. Trust in God that He will honor your faith is what it takes to do the miraculous. Nobody has done something great for God without a great trust in God.
My friend, you will always have a lion to face. There will always be a lion you can use as an excuse, but do not let your lion stop you from going out to do something great for God.
Moreover, how you approach your lion determines what God can do through you. You have squelched the power of God if you let your lion become your excuse. However, you unfetter God’s power in your life if you choose to go despite your lion.
Furthermore, how you approach your lion determines what becomes of your life. Your life will either be a story of excuses or an example of heroics dependent on what you do with the lion in your life.
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