Run to the Roar

The Bible teaches that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may destroy. Listen to me, our enemy’s tactics boil down to fear and intimidation. He’s all smoke and mirrors trying to make us feel guilt ridden about past failures that render us paralyzed to move forward in faith. Or he conducts a temptation campaign wooing us to do things we never wanted to do. Either way, he’s devoured our testimony.

There are two tactics to employ when you hear the roaring rumble of the enemy in the distance. The first is to stand still knowing you are undefeatable in the power of the Lord’s strength. The devil is all bluster and no bite. If you picture him as a toothless predator it would enable you to stand firm against his bluster. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph 6:10-12).

Your second way of escape is to run to the roar which sounds counterintuitive. But let me tell you why it works every time. It takes advantage of the way a lion hunts. And the roar is the secret sauce. Let me unpack it for you.

A lion’s deep reverberating roar echoes throughout a three-mile radius unleashing terror in its wake. Wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras twitch at the rumble and for good reason. The king of the jungle is on the prowl. Sadly, what the prey do not understand is that running from the roar ensures their death.

That’s because lions hunt collaboratively and you’d be surprised to learn that it’s the female lions that make the kill. Several female lions stalk their prey moving as close as 30 yards away. Since they are not as fast as their quarry they rely heavily on the element of surprise.

Here’s where the male comes in. Hiding in the brush and positioned downwind, he waits patiently for the lionesses to get within striking distance. Then he unleashes the roar driving the poor little zebra straight into the cleverly crouched huntresses. They can’t out maneuver a team of trained killers.

If the poor zebra had faced its fears and run toward the roar it would have escaped. That’s because a single male, who is much slower than the female, couldn’t catch the zebra running at breakneck speed. It’s scary to do, but it promises survival.

We at Reload Love embrace the adage “Run toward the roar.” We train ourselves to run this race with endurance both spiritually and physically. Before hiking for several days into the jungles of Burma we took a three months intensive fitness program called Training for Warriors. Our coach, Vicente, was a trained SWAT team member. His routine was full of burpees, hurricanes, pushing down sleds, animal crawls, and weights. After breaking us down physically, he would build us up with inspiring stories. He was the first to tell us about the way lions hunt. Vicente’s goal was to make sure we would instinctively be ready to run to the roar.