3 Words for a New Year: 2 Peter 1:1-4
Today You Have Everything You Need to Live a Godly and Abundant Life:

Today: 2 Corinthians 6:1-3 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the Grace of God in vain – 2 For He says a the acceptable time I listened to You and on the day of salvation I helped You. Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold now is The Day of Salvation!

1st Today is a New Day, Today is a New Beginning 2 Cor 5:17-19

2nd Today You Have Everything You Need to Live a Godly & Abundant Life. 2 Peter 1:1-4

Even On a Snowing Day: Benaiah, A Valiant Man who Kills a Lion in the middle of a Pit on a Snowy Day:

2 Samuel 23:20-23

1st: Benaiah has a Great heritage: A Dad who’s a Hero who Fights Valiantly.

2nd He Himself is Valiant Man, Doing Mighty deeds: Courage under Control, Disciplined:

3rd Mentioned 35 + times in Scripture, He’s Loyal, Faithful, Never showy, never prideful.

4th He Was a Man Mighty in Deeds: Mentioned are 3:

He Kills two brothers of Moab. 2 elite soldiers: Moab: Prideful, Arrogant and Hates Israel. Wants to annihilate God’s People.

He Goes Down into the middle of a pit and kills a Lion on a snowy day:

– Pit: No Escape, One way out and probably a small space.
– Lion: Apex Animal top of the food chain. It’s a threat a threat that is
necessary to meet: Even on a Snowy day.
-Snowy Day: Ad day to stay in, to wait out the storm.

Great Faith to Face a Grave and Great threat
His courage was God directed not self directed, God promoting not self promoting
Courage under Pressure:

The Man who fights lions when everyone else stays home.
Faithful without fame, loyal to His king, obedient even when it does not make sense, but in God it always makes sense. Moral Clarity.

Sees a need an meets it. Takes care of what needs to happen This is a mighty deed:

– Like the Fireman or even someone else who runs into a building to save a child, a mom a man.
– Like a Lineman on a snowy day who works hard all day and night to get lights and heat back on.
– Like a soldier falling on a grenade to save friends to get them home.
– Like the mother who finds strength all night long to care for her child, or to lift something heavy to save the child.
– Like the Missionary who goes into the hared places, the violent places to rescue people from the Lion, the darkness, the Enemy.
– Like the Believer marching into hard places to feed the hungry to visit the sick, to declare the glory of God to hostile people

Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

We see the Need, and we run to it. Sometimes it’s a call, sometimes we just come upon it. It’s the Good Samaritan at Work.

– Like David as a shepherd boy, chases the bear and the lion, kills them and rescues the lamb.
– Like David meeting Goliath
– Like Jael a foreigner. A woman not of Israel. Welcomes the warrior general into her home. Sisera , Hater of God = Waters him, feeds him and gives him a blanket to rest. And while He sleeps, she hammers a peg into his temple, finishing the war, the battle
– Like Esther, who walks into the throne room uninvited which is a very dangerous thing to do. And saves Israel from genocide.
– Like Daniel who kneels in prayer, knowing a den of lions await him for their next meal.
– Like Shadrach, Meshak and Abednego who face the furnace for refusing to bow down to Idols.
– Like Nehemiah that leaves the comforts of Palace living to travel hundreds of miles to build the walls of Jerusalem amidst great resistance with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other.
– Like Paul who enters cities knowing chains, beatings and affliction awaits him.
– Like Jesus who steps from heaven’s throne into a hostile world of sin and rebellion to die for the sins of the world for the rest of history.

1 Peter 5:8 Be of Sober Spirit be on the alert, Your adversary the Devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

2 Things, Resist Him, Be A part of Delivering others from the Jaw and Paw of the Lion. Even in a pit on a snowy Day.

Benaiah goes on to kill an Egyptian with who is huge who has a spear like a weaver’s beam: Not a normal spear shaft, it was massive> The spear head was likely 10-15 pounds. He meets the guy with a club, steals His spear and kills him with his own weapon.

5th Beneniah had a name: He was highly honored: His name meant The Lord who builds

6th Benaiah was appointed as the Leader of David’s guard and would be a part of Solomon’s reign.

Cottonwood, will we be a people of Mighty deeds? People of integrity.