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where is your lion // Thursday E-Devotion

I ain't stuck no matter what any one says. Yes, I quote from the guys who touch my thinking and my heart, and most of the time these are men who are passionate about God and church. So, I cannot apologize either. No one has said anything to me about this.
My point is (as I have heard for decades) "there is nothing original" and each of us does not have to "reinvent the wheel" just to get out point across. Does that make sense?
When I needed a word yesterday, I sat down with Mark Batterson's book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day again and heard God say some things. So, I am going to quote Mark (from pages 53-4) and pray that God will let us know where our lions are and face them with courage.
"There comes a time when you have to fave your fears and take a stand for what is right. That is what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. They ricked their lives when they refused to bow to a ninety foot idol.
"I've got to be honest. I would have been tempted to rationalize compromise in those circumstances. I'll bow on the outside, but not on the inside. I'll cross my fingers while I'm bowing do it doesn't really count. I'll just pretend the idol is Jehovah. They could have compromised, but lion chasers don't back down. And their acts of courage set the stage for epic miracles. (quote from Daniel 3 where these three men said they would never bow to the idol no matter the consequences)...
"Courage is doing what is right regardless of the circumstances or consequences... (text and quote about the fiery furnace and the king seeing a fourth man in the furnace that looked like God)...
"When you put yourself into defenseless positions, it sets the stage for God to show up. And that is exactly what happens. Not only do Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego come out of the fiery furnace alive, they don't even smell like smoke!
"What if Sharach, Meshach and Abenego had bowed to the idol?
"I am not sure I can accurately answer that questions, but I do know this. They wouldn't have gotten their promotions. The Jewish people would not have gotten protected status within the Babylonian kingdom. Idol worship would have continued unabated in Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't have had a life changing God encounter..."
Folks, that reading kicked me into big time thinking and celebrating. I want to encounter God SO THAT OTHERS will encounter God.
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