One of my very favorite animals is the honey badger. The reason is that he inspires me with his tenacity and ferocious determination in the face of every obstacle.
Check out this video of a honey badger caught in a life/death situation and see how he handles it. Warning, it is a little graphic, but very instructive.
Maybe one of the reasons, honey badgers are so fierce is that they are focused. They have very poor eyesight and keep their noses to the ground.
They have thick skin, almost impervious to machetes. Also, their skin is quite loose, which allows them to wriggle out of tough situations.
They are intent on their goal, no matter what happens. Poisonous snake, python, jackals, crocodiles, lions, honey badger doesn’t care.
Perhaps you find yourself in a similar plight with pronouncements of terminal illness, financial woes, or other problems. You are being squeezed on every side and everything looks hopeless.
Maybe, criticism has grieved you to the point of causing depression and resentment. Honey badger faith includes thick skin. We cannot be thin-skinned and allow offenses to linger in our hearts. Let nothing offend you. Let those arrows from the enemy fall off of you like water off a duck’s back.
Honey badger faith doesn’t arise in such dilemmas automatically. The honey badger took on smaller fights as he grew. Just like David, as he watched the sheep, took on the bear and the lion before he met Goliath.
Even if you have not trained yourself in faith before the big obstacle comes your way, the Spirit of the Lord within you can rise when you call upon Him.
The way will be easier for you, however, if you have practiced your faith in preparation. When our hope is in the Lord…
“When the enemy comes in,
like a flood the Spirit of the Lord
will rise up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19b
Practice your faith in small things every day. Let your faith grow and see how God intervenes for you. You will find yourself tackling harder obstacles. Encourage yourself with “If He did this small thing, let’s see what He will do with this new mountain before me”.
Grow your honey badger faith and be a lion in God’s kingdom for His purposes!
So important to be fearless in this hour. Encouraging ourselves like David in the Bible did. Reminding himself what the Lord delivered him from, when faced with a new challenge is so important.
Thank you Sharon for this blog post. For me, these are helpful lessons, reminders and tools to release our faith…Honey Badger faith.
Thank you, Lori, for your encouraging comment. Yes, more important than ever to have honey badger faith in this hour!