The Lion Who Lives in Me

Lions.
Known as king of the jungle.  When we think of them we think of majestic, big, scary animals.  Although they are the second fastest animals in the jungle, they are still considered the Kings.
Lions are scary animals to the others living with them in the wild.  When hyenas hear their roar, they stop laughing, when horses hear them they back out in fear, when camels come close their knees start to shake... All of this, why?  Because lions are the strongest animals in the Jungle.  They go out of their way to defend their pack (3-40)

I want to tell you about a lion who lives in me.  He created the Heavens and the Earth.  He tells the trees when it is time to change their leaves.  He tells the birds when it is time to fly South for the winter.  He even tells the flowers when it is warm enough for them to bloom.

This lion wanted to defend his pack so much that He gave himself as a sacrifice so that we might live instead of dying for the mistakes we have committed.  This lion did not give up or back out of the fight when he was accused of things He did not do.  Instead, he took the blame.  The blame for me.  It should of been me on that cross.  I am imperfect.  I make mistakes.  I fall.  But He did it.  He did it because that is what the Lion does for his pack.  (Revelations 5:5)

He is not only the King of the Jungle, He is the King of the Universe.  He created it all and everything was made to worship Him and Him alone. (Colossians 1:16)

When you let him come into your life He gives you the strength and authority of a Lion.  He lives in you.  If you allow him to, He takes control of your actions and is able to do so many wonderful things with your life.  When you're struggling, His strength takes over and you are able to overcome everything that you weren't able to before.  When someone tries to bring you down, he gives you the grace, his majesticness, to be able to walk away and win that person's heart.  He gives you the authority to take your family back from the arms of the enemy, and so much more.

He is God.  He is the Lion of Judah and the lion in my life.  He lives in me.

Let him take complete control over your life.  Let him come in and do what He wants with you.  I want the lion who lives in me to also live in you.

Raw and Beautiful

So why is it called Raw and Beautiful?

Well let me explain. :)

The idea comes from Proverbs 31:10-31
This proverbs describes a virtuous woman in the eyes of God.  Although the meaning of the chapter is a lot deeper than what meets the eye, I decided to look at it from the literal script.  

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

We see a woman who is humble, loving, giving, hard working, and so much more.  This woman is willing to go out of her way to make sure that her family has a nice place to live, clothes, food, and warmth.  On top of that, she goes out of her way to make sure that her house is a safe place for her friends to come over if they need some place to stay.  She does everything out of the kindness of her heart because she is so connected to God.  Her kindness is raw and her beauty is pure.  This is the type of woman that I hope to be one day.  

Psalms 27:14

"Wait on the Lord".  Those words caught my attention as I flipped through my Bible during youth service last night.  I paused for a moment and just stared at those words not knowing how exactly I felt.  

There have been many times in my life (of which I will write later) that have made me question if I was on God's path, leading me to what he has for me. They have been times that God has kept silence and it has been so frustrating as a human because I want answers. 

As I read this verse yesterday I realized that God wants us to wait on him even if we don't have all the answers we want at the moment.  As humans it is perfectly normal for us to question if He is there or not when we don't feel him.  There are times that we want answers right away and we pray and pray but He doesn't answer (or when He does, it's not what we wanted to hear).  But God says "Wait on me... Have courage and I will strengthen you heart." 

I think we get caught up sometimes on trying to figure out why God does things or allows trials in our lives and we forget that through our trials, we are learning to depend on him completely and we are building our testimony.  Sometimes the trials that we go through are to prepare us to give good advice to others whom we will encounter on the way that are going through similar situations. (I know that's how it has been for me sometimes.) 

Are you waiting on the Lord today?  Or are you becoming frustrated because you don't see answers and results that you would like to have?  Can I encourage you to leave it all in His hands? Have faith and courage because He is looking after you, He is taking care of you, and most importantly, He does hear your prayer.

We might not get the answers we want right away. They might not be what we want to hear.  They might not come in the form you expect them to come in. We might not get them until we get to Heaven... But He wants us to wait on Him.

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine 

heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalms 27:14