Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Just this week a coworker was telling me of a friend of his that took a mission trip to Africa. While the man was in Africa, he and his group spent time with a tribe - though I can't remember what the name of this particular tribe was. The men of this tribe had a rite of passage, which they actually performed when they were about 11 years old. Each man of the tribe had to go out and cut the tail off of a lion. Now move past the thoughts of that as quickly as you can; in our modern world it is hard to understand chopping off the tail of an animal, but their world is different. Not only must this be a difficult task, but it also gains them much respect - not just among their tribe, but also among the lions! Believe it or not, when the lions of the area see members of this tribe they will actually get up and move away from them. So you think to yourself, "They must be scared of humans in general." No, they only move away when they see members of this particular tribe not of any other tribe. The lions know the difference!


1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." So the question I pose is do you belong to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Do you belong to the tribe that invokes fear in the heart of the enemy? Do you belong to the tribe that the gates of hell cannot prevail against? Does your life send the enemy on the run? 


Or do you belong to another tribe? Perhaps you're of a tribe that the enemy does not even recognize; perhaps the enemy even thinks that he can encroach upon you and intimidate you.


We must live our lives in such a way that it is evident who we belong to, in such a way that it causes the enemy to flee from us. We may not lop off his tail, but we may at least gain ground that was once considered his territory.