Rise up to be all you were created to be – lessons from a lioness.
Lisa Bevere
She started off the session by encouraging us not to lose or be immune to the fragrance of Jesus Christ, because as His people we have (or are meant to have) a distinct fragrance about us.
“You are born for this moment; your response is life and death. Don’t be afraid of your strengths and weaknesses. Rise up to be all you were created to be.”
She shared to us about a revelation she had 16 years ago about a lioness and the call to awake.
From then on she started an in-depth study about the lioness and published a book. She shares about what she had learnt throughout the process.
Habakkuk 2:2
Numbers 23:24
Jesus is the lion of Judah; it is time for the bride of Christ (lioness) to awaken. Lions and lionesses groom and greet each other. Lionesses recognise that they are only as strong as each individual member brings to the pride. Jesus has an expression of majesty and sovereignty and wonder and we need to rise up to that.
Lisa shared a scenario about a lion and lioness that was put in captivity because they were killing the cattle on a farm. They were put in captivity for some time that they had cubs. There came a day when the gate was to be opened to release the lions and lionesses but for the younger ones, they stayed where they were not even venturing out into the open. There was a dead buck placed further away to act as some sort of motivation for them to step out. The alpha lioness, though was pacing back and forth at the fringe until something arose in her to make her step out into the open. She looked back and lured another lioness to join her, which she eventually did. When there is a generation brought up in captivity they would rather stay in confinement than embrace the abundance in front of them.
The 2 lionesses then approached the dead buck, and instead of enjoying it by themselves, they pulled the buck back to the alpha lion that was waiting. Acts of honour are never lost in translation.
2 Corinthians 6:11-13
God did not save you to tame you – he wants us to be everything he created us to be.
Like the lioness, we should be at ease with our strength and at rest with our power, not in strife with our sisters or brothers.
Lisa shared another scene from a documentary she was watching about lions in the wild. Some researchers had placed a collar on a lion to track it and study it. As a result the lion was being attacked by the other lions because it was considered weak due to where the collar was placed and its effect on his mane. The researchers then decided to take the collar off. They had to tranquilise the lion in order to get close enough to take the collar off. When the lion was tranquilised, the lioness appeared and was pacing back and forth, watching all that was going on. The researchers realised that they needed to tranquilise the lioness as well to get to the lion safely.
Very common tactic: To get to the men, the devil tranquilises the female. Eg Eve
Lisa shared here about a situation in her own home where her son had to read an inappropriate book for school. She shared about how she first approached the teacher on the basis of protecting her son from being exposed to such imagery from the book they were reading but then quickly realised that there were about 30 other boys in the class who were reading the same book as well. She brought on the point:
Lionesses are not content for their cubs to be safe but the other cubs at risk.
Hosea 13:8
Proverbs 6:6-11
Watch the lioness – she:
Knows why and who she is
What she is created to do
The where of her environment
Knows her creator and honours him
Alexander the great “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep but i am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion”
Follow like sheep and war like a lion.
The lioness is the sum of fear and wonder. This is how
God describes us as well.
Your beauty is not just in your form but it is most often caught in your function. The lioness’s power and attractiveness is undeniable because her power is unquestionable. Same for the church.
Beautiful Soul 