I SHOT A TOMMY GUN at the FBI headquarters. Well, not at it, in it. Special agents Zac Jury and Matt Heimstra not only gave our campus pastors a private tour, but they also let me shoot an original 1918 John T. Thompson submachine gun in the FBI shooting range. I was warned that the Tommy gun has quite a kick when it’s set on fully automatic. Let’s just say I left my mark on the FBI that day. By the time I emptied the magazine, the ceiling of the shooting range had dozens of bullet holes, and cement dust blanketed the range.

Zac Jury was teaching high school history on September 11, 2001. After the first plane hit the Twin Towers, Zac turned on the television in his classroom. When the second plane hit, one of his students started sobbing and said, “Mr. Jury, my sister works in those buildings.” That was a genesis moment for Zac, the moment he determined in his heart to devote his life to counterterrorism and pursue his dream of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Like Josheb, Zac faced long odds.

In fact, his odds were longer than eight hundred to one.

Only 3 percent of applicants who take the Phase I test get invited to take the Phase II test, and only 1.5 percent of those who pass Phase II make it through the FBI background check and graduate from the FBI Academy. But those odds didn’t keep Zac from taking a step of faith and quitting his teaching job. “The night before the last day of school,” Zac said, “as I was writing my resignation letter, I got a call that I was accepted for the Phase II test.”

When Zac arrived at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, he felt like he was out of his league. “There were former military special forces, scientists, lawyers, police officers, and me—just a teacher,” Zac said. “Then I remembered that the Lord is the One who had brought me here, so I must belong here.”

On the second day at the academy, trainees are shown the photos of every FBI special agent who has been killed in the line of duty. It’s a psychological test of sorts, and some don’t make it past day two. During the twenty-one weeks, they take fitness tests, legal tests, firearms tests, and defensive tactics tests.

The final test is called Bull in the Ring. It’s a no-holds-barred, knock-down-drag-out fight. Weighing in at 185 pounds, Zac was put in the heavyweight group, ranging from 180 to 220 pounds. He also had two Golden Gloves boxers in his group, but he held his own.

“Most people have never been in a fight in their life,” Zac said. “This one exercise gives you confidence the rest of your career that if you ever get in a fight, it is going to be a fight for your life.”

Bull in the Ring

“A valiant fighter.”

We read right past it, but it’s everything I need to know about Benaiah. He was a valiant fighter. Instead of Bull in the Ring, Benaiah survived Lion in a Pit.

Benaiah would have impressed at the NFL Combine. He was well conditioned and well trained. But this descriptor reveals more about Benaiah’s moral character than it does his physical prowess.

According to rabbinic tradition, when the queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, he sent Benaiah to meet her. Benaiah was described as “the hind at dawn leaping into the sunlight.”1 An ancient compliment, I guess. The queen of Sheba actually descended from her chariot, mistaking him for King Solomon. When the queen discovered her error, she quoted an appropriate proverb: “You have not yet seen the lion, come and behold his den.”2

Benaiah may not have been “the lion king,” but he was the lion chaser!

Fighters don’t walk away when the going gets tough; they fight to the finish for their convictions. Fighters don’t give up when everyone is against them; they fight against the status quo. And fighters don’t shrink back when the odds are against them; they fight back for what they believe in.

There is a moment in every dream journey when you have to fight for what you believe in. It might be a marriage that is on the ropes, a child who is in rebellion, or a dream that is on life support.

Are you willing to fight for it?

There is only one way to get out of a pit with a lion on a snowy day—you have to fight your way out. You have to fight harder, fight longer, and fight smarter than your five-hundred-pound foe.

According to the tale of the tape, Benaiah was a serious underdog. In the world of prize fighting, reach is everything. The giant Egyptian that Benaiah faced off against stood seven feet six inches tall.3 So Benaiah’s chances of defeating this giant were about the same as David’s chances of defeating Goliath! But the old adage is true: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

I’m laid-back about almost everything, but don’t mess with my family or my dream. If you mess with either of them, you mess with me. A protective instinct takes over, and I’ll take you down.

Are you willing to fight for your dream?

To fight until your hand freezes to the sword?

To fight even if it’s eight hundred against one?

Six Rounds

I was speaking at a leadership conference in Dallas, Texas, on March 24, 2015. Two minutes before going on stage, my phone rang. Usually I wouldn’t answer it, but I recognized the number. That’s how I discovered that my dad had cancer. Needless to say, it was one of the toughest talks I’ve ever given. While I was talking, I was processing the questions that started firing across my synapses.

What kind is it?

What stage is it?

What are the chances of beating it?

Some people roll over and play dead when backed into a corner by bad news, but my dad isn’t wired that way. Even when we discovered that the cancer was in two places, my dad came out of the corner fighting with an upbeat attitude. I don’t have a single memory of my dad complaining about anything, and cancer wasn’t about to change his approach to life! My dad fought cancer the way he has fought every other challenge—with grace and faith. And we fought for him in prayer.

The Enemy comes to steal your joy, kill your dreams, and destroy your life. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Simply put, we were born on a battlefield between good and evil, and we have to choose sides. I’m not one of those people who see a demon behind every bush. But I also know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We’re in a dogfight with the devil, and we don’t have to take it sitting down.

No weapon formed against us will prosper.4

If we resist the devil, he will flee from us.5

And if God is for us, who can be against us?6

The Bible says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. The key word is like. He’s a poser, and his bark is worse than his bite. Refuse to believe his lies or to cower to his intimidation. When he reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!

Fight back with words of faith.

Fight back with songs of praise.

Complex Trauma

Bonnie Martin is a licensed professional counselor with expertise in complex trauma. Her job is helping the victims of violence, exploitation, and human trafficking get out of the nightmare they find themselves in. Bonnie is also a former English teacher and the one who edited the first draft of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day ten years ago!

One of the defining moments of her life occurred during a very difficult season. In the height of her ministry career, her marriage was failing. Despair was closing in on her like a dense fog. Bonnie went on a mission trip to South Africa with her father just to escape her painful situation for a little while. On the last day there, they went on a safari and came within two feet of a lion. Separated from it by a chain-link fence, Bonnie playfully said, “Hey kitty, kitty!” That’s when the lion lunged at the fence and let out a roar that still makes her shudder a decade later!

“My nerves caught fire,” said Bonnie. “It felt like death by electrocution.”

Bonnie learned from her guide that a lion’s roar is meant to communicate dominance—to assert its authority in a territory. And the only thing that will silence a lion’s roar is the roar of a more powerful lion.

That’s when Bonnie heard the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit:

Bonnie, Satan walks around like a roaring lion looking to devour. But do you see that fence? That fence is the blood of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb. Satan may roar at you, but he cannot touch you. He is the one in a cage. You are the one that’s free. But you have been living your life like you’re the one in the cage and he is the one that’s free.

Come on!

Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!7

Bonnie’s circumstances didn’t change that day, but her perspective did. The darkness actually got darker. The pit got deeper. But in the words of Corrie ten Boom, “There is no pit that God’s love is not deeper still.”8 Bonnie’s first marriage ended, but a new chapter in her life began.

Instead of seeing herself as a victim, Bonnie saw herself for who she is—more than a conqueror. She leveraged her pain by getting licensed as a professional counselor, and she is helping women all around the world find and fight their way out of whatever pit they find themselves in.

When the Lion of the tribe of Judah roared His way out of the tomb on the third day, He didn’t just defeat death. He asserted His authority over His ancient foe, silencing sin once and for all. Satan is a defeated foe.

It’s okay to talk to God about your problems, but at some point you need to talk to your problems about God.

Preach the goodness of God to them. Prophesy the promises of God to them. Proclaim the victory that was won two thousand years ago!

Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves. He rebuked demons. He even rebuked a fever. So I think it’s okay to rebuke cancer. I can’t promise healing, but I can pray for it. And I know that our healing, our deliverance was paid in full at Calvary’s cross.

My dad went six rounds with chemo, and he walked away with a clean bill of health. He has a few battle scars for sure, but he fought a good fight. I love my dad even more after his fight against cancer because I know he wasn’t fighting just for himself. He was fighting for my mom, fighting for me and my brother, fighting for his six grandchildren.

Whatever challenge you face, don’t take it sitting down.

Pick a fight with injustice.

Pick a fight with poverty.

Pick a fight with racism.

If you’re willing to fight for it, you have a fighting chance. And God will fight for you.

Valor

During our tour of FBI headquarters, we paused in front of a plaque with the names of every FBI agent who has received the Medal of Valor. It’s awarded to those who have shown exceptional heroism in the line of duty. On the plaque is a quote by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Carl Sandburg.

Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.

Valor is less an action and more a reaction.

If you judge a person by his or her actions, you’re judging a book by its cover. Reactions are far more revealing than actions. How you react in difficult circumstances is the litmus test of character. And you never really know how you’ll react until you’re the one who crosses paths with a lion.

Valor is running toward trouble when everyone else is running away.

Valor is going above and beyond the call of duty.

Valor is putting yourself in the line of fire for someone else.

Putting oneself in harm’s way is counterintuitive to the average person, but it’s second nature to a lion chaser. As King David’s bodyguard, that was Benaiah’s job description. He had been trained how to make his body the largest possible target, step in front of the king, and take a spear if need be.

Transformed Nonconformist

Shortly after being installed as the twentieth pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a sermon in November of 1954 titled “Transformed Nonconformist.”

“The Christian is called upon not to be like a thermometer conforming to the temperature of his society,” said King, “but he must be like a thermostat serving to transform the temperature of his society.”9

King recognized that being different for difference’s sake isn’t the goal. The goal is to make a difference. And that takes the courage not just to stand but to stand alone.

“I have seen many white people who sincerely oppose segregation and [discrimination],” said King. “But they never took a [real] stand against it because of fear of standing alone.”10

Are you willing not just to stand but to stand alone?

On December 1, 1955, a transformed nonconformist boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus just five blocks from the pulpit where King delivered that sermon. When the white section filled up with passengers, the bus driver ordered Rosa Parks to give up her seat in the colored section. Rosa politely refused. She took a moral stand by remaining seated.

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true,” Rosa said.11 It wasn’t a physical tiredness that kept Rosa seated; it was a moral tiredness. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”12

Rosa Park’s stand against racial segregation started a ripple effect. It led to a court battle, which led to a citywide boycott, which led to the Supreme Court ruling segregation unconstitutional.

Until the pain of staying the same becomes more acute than the pain of change, nothing happens. We simply maintain the status quo. And we convince ourselves that playing it safe is safe. But the greatest risk is taking no risks at all.

Wouldn’t Be Prudent

“Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.”

It’s a classic catch phrase made famous by Dana Carvey’s impersonation of President George H. W. Bush on Saturday Night Live. I hear Dana Carvey’s voice when I read about Benaiah’s exploits.

Chase a lion? “Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.”

Take on two mighty Moabites? “Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.”

Fight a giant Egyptian? “Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.”

None of these actions seems prudent, but that’s what makes them valiant. I’m all for doing homework. I believe due diligence honors God, but delayed obedience disguised as prudence is disobedience. And it won’t get you where God wants you to go.

For more than forty years, Dr. Glen Reid served as a missionary in the Middle East. Everyone who knew him had the utmost respect for him. So they were surprised by his courageous confession at the age of eighty-two: “I have failed throughout my life because I have let fear and prudence be my gods while I avoided trusting God.”

Dr. Reid shared about a moment on the mission field when God prompted him to share the gospel with a tribe of cannibals. Dr. Reid decided not to chase that lion. His excuse was prudence, and it ranks as one of his great regrets. Later in life he recognized prudence for what it really was, his god.

Quit bowing down to the god of prudence!

Faith isn’t logical or illogical; it’s theological.

Faith isn’t prudent or imprudent; it’s valiant.

Noah looked foolish building an ark in the desert. Sarah looked foolish buying maternity clothes at age ninety. David looked foolish attacking Goliath with a slingshot. Benaiah looked foolish chasing a lion. The wise men looked foolish following a star. Peter looked foolish stepping out of the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus looked foolish hanging half-naked on the cross.

But that’s faith. Faith is the willingness to look foolish. And the results speak for themselves.

Noah survived the Great Flood. Sarah gave birth to Isaac. David defeated Goliath. Benaiah killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The wise men found the Messiah. Peter walked on water. And Jesus rose from the dead.

You know why some of us have never killed a giant, chased a lion, or walked on water? We’re afraid of looking foolish.

But it’s the fear of looking foolish that is foolish!

Not Gonna Happen

Before getting married twenty years ago, Jeffrey Keafle and his fiancée, Sherri, outlined their goals for family, finances, and the future. With regard to the future, Jeffrey dreamed big. He told Sherri that he wanted to manage two golf courses—Bellerive Country Club in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, and Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

With seventeen thousand golf courses in America, to specify two by name equates to a 1 in 289 million chance of success! It didn’t help the odds that they are both top-rated courses. Jeffrey wasn’t chasing one five-hundred-pound lion; he was chasing two!

Twelve years later Jeffrey landed one of those dream jobs as chief executive of Bellerive. And that’s when he decided to dream even bigger! What if they could host a major championship—and not just any championship but a centennial? Major golf championships have migrated to highly populated East and West Coast courses. And with complex event staging and broadcast requirements, tournaments typically choose multiple-course facilities. Bellerive didn’t fit either profile, but that didn’t stop Jeffrey from forming a dream team and writing an eighty-page proposal outlining a vision for the future of championship golf.

The championship committee told Jeffrey it was an impressive presentation but Bellerive was not getting a major. In other words, not gonna happen.

Jeffrey flew back to St. Louis discouraged, but waiting for him was a copy of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, a Christmas gift from his golf professional. The question on the back cover immediately caught his attention:

What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure, your greatest fear?

Jeffrey decided not to take no for an answer. Despite spending hundreds of hours on the original proposal, he expanded the team working on the project and spent more time revising his proposal, making it even bolder. The committee was intrigued enough with the updated proposal that they asked him to “put more fabric to it.”

Two versions later the dream of championship golf benefiting the local community became the genesis of PGA REACH—Recreation, Education, Awareness, Community, and Health. Bellerive beat the odds! It will play host to the one hundredth PGA Championship in 2018. Even more important, its members and the PGA Gateway Section are now positively influencing the lives of disadvantaged youth in the inner city of St. Louis.

I met Jeffrey after he had chased his second lion to Bethesda, Maryland, accepting the CEO position at Congressional Country Club. As we talked over coffee, I saw in him what I see in all lion chasers. Impossible odds don’t break their spirit. Impossible odds steel their resolve and fuel their fire. Lion chasers have a sanctified stubborn streak that refuses to give up when they can fight for their God-given dreams.

Play Offense

Let me induct one more member into the fight club.

Gary Cook has been a university president for twenty-eight years. That’s a long tenure, but it was almost cut short when Gary was diagnosed with acute leukemia at age fifty-seven. Some people would start living defensively at that point, but not Gary. Gary asked God for another ten thousand days! Why? Because God had given him a $100 million dream!

When you’ve been the president of a university for twenty-eight years, it’s tough to give it up. But God had given Gary a new dream of raising $100 million in scholarships for future students. As he wrestled with his decision, he read my book Wild Goose Chase.

The day before the board meeting where he planned to declare his dream, his decision, Gary was wavering. That’s when he got to page 66:

If you aren’t willing to throw down your staff, you forfeit the miracle that is at your fingertips. You have to be willing to let go of an old identity in order to take on a new identity….

Where do you find your identity? What is the source of your security? Is it a title? a paycheck? a relationship? a degree? a name? There is nothing wrong with any of those things as long as you can throw them down.13

It was a page 66 vision!

When Gary read those words, the decision was made. He put his twenty-eight-year presidency on the altar, believing the best was yet to come. He’s devoting the rest of his days to the $100 million dream God has given him.

One fun footnote.

Gary also read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day after his bout with leukemia, and he read it quite literally. He reckoned that the mighty men were mighty, so Gary started working out one hour every day. He started getting the sleep, eating the food, and drinking the water he needed to whip his body back into shape. I daresay that Gary is in better shape at sixty-five than most people half his age!

“So many people go on defense at sixty-five,” Gary said. “I decided to play offense.”

That’s what lion chasers do! They play offense with their lives.