Fully Awake

“There’s nothing more dangerous than being in the presence of lions when they are fully awake.”
I love this!  It’s an excerpt from Lisa Bevere’s book titled “Lioness Arising”. She tells a story about two lionesses and one lion who were being resettled into a newly designated reserve in South Africa.  Together these three lions had successfully established their domain and reigned over a large portion of the reserve.  

In order to follow the lions movements and progress, a tracking device was placed on the male.  After two years on the reserve, it was time to remove the collar.  It also needed to come off because it hindered the fullness of his mane.  Lions use the width of their mane to determine whether or not to fight for dominance of an area.  

The lion the Rangers had collared was now mighty and would have to be sedated in order to remove the collar.  They located the lion and shot him with the tranquilizer.  They fired twice sending the lion to the ground.  

Just as they were about to jump off their jeep and remove the collar, the lioness appeared.  She boldly made her presence known to the Rangers.  She paced back and forth in front of her mate.  They had to move quickly before the sedative wore off.  To get to him, they would have to tranquilize her.  

What would happen if we, like the lions were dangerous and fully awake?  The enemy tries hard to sedate us.  He looks for opportunities to shoot at us and keep us from being fully awake. He tries to keep us busy and worrying and tired all the time.  He wants us immovable and ineffective so that we might not do the things God has called us to do.  But Like the lioness, we must wake up, rise up, and remember who we are In Christ.

Romans 13:11-14 MSG says,
“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.  The night is about over, dawn is about to break.  Be up and awake to what God is doing!  God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed.  

We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight.  Get out of bed and get dressed!  Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute.  Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”

Ephesians 6:10 NIV says:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devils schemes.“

This is our time to take action!  God has chosen us!  He has clothed us with himself!  We are His holy people set apart for him and his purposes.  Christine Cane once said, God did not save you to tame you!  Ooh I love it!  He saved us so that we can be like Him.  He didn’t back down or coward at the devil in the wilderness, he spoke The Word and defeated him!  We should respond the same way.  The Word of God coming out of our mouths is a powerful force. It’s living and active!  It’s a two edged sword! It wil cause the enemy to run in fear.  

Let’s respond by being fully and dangerously awake, meditating on The Word, dwelling in Gods presence, praying bold prayers so that we, like the fierce lioness can awaken from our tranquilizer state and rise up and defend our family, our community, our Church, our world?  
Let’s become a strategic force to be reckoned with.

So to finish the story, the Rangers took careful aim.  When the dart hit the enraged lioness, she fell to the ground, her eyes tracking their every move.  They had to move quickly.  They removed the collar from the lions neck and swiftly made their way back to their jeep.  As they drove away there was a huge exhale of relief as one of the Rangers said, "there’s nothing more dangerous than being in the presence of lions when they are fully awake.”