April 1, 2026

Today’s devotion builds on yesterday.

“…He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.” 2 Samuel 23:20b (NASB95)

“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13 (NASB95)

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NASB95)

Day 4: Surviving the Dormancy (Life’s Seasons)

In 2 Samuel, we find Benaiah facing a terrifying scenario: trapped in a pit with a lion on a snowy day. John Edward made a profound observation about this text: the lion did not make it snow. The day was already freezing, and the lion simply took advantage of the harsh conditions.

In our spiritual walk, we will inevitably face “snowy days.” These are the cold, numb seasons where our zeal fades, our love feels like it is growing cold , and we feel “stuck still” like ice . The danger of this spiritual winter is not just the cold; it is that opportunistic predators—like a starving lion—wait for these exact moments of vulnerability to attack .

In botany, a plant survives winter through a complex process called Dormancy. It does not simply die; it strategically shuts down to protect itself. We can learn a massive amount about surviving our spiritual winters from how God designed trees to survive a freeze:

  • Acclimation (Cold Hardening): Before the freeze hits, a tree prepares by altering its cellular chemistry, storing up sugars that act as a natural antifreeze to keep its cells from bursting. Spiritually, we must “cold harden” our hearts by storing up the Word of God (Psalm 119:11) before the crisis hits, so we are not broken when it comes.
  • Carbohydrate Partitioning: As winter approaches, a tree stops pushing energy up into new, showy leaves. Instead, it drives all its vital energy deep down into the roots for storage. When you enter a spiritual winter, it is not the time to focus on outward, visible “fruit” or public ministry. It is the time to drive all your remaining energy into your roots—your hidden intimacy with the Father.
  • Abscission: This is the deliberate shedding of leaves. A tree must drop its leaves, otherwise, the winter winds will catch them and tear the branches apart. To survive a snowy day, we must practice spiritual abscission. We must actively “throw off everything that hinders” (Hebrews 12:1) to conserve our energy and keep our branches from breaking.
  • Bud Scales: This is perhaps the most incredible winter adaptation. Even in a deep freeze, a tree has already formed the tiny, delicate tissue for next spring’s new leaves and flowers. To protect them from desiccation and freezing, the tree wraps them tightly in tough, modified leaves called “bud scales.” This perfectly mirrors Proverbs 4:23—guarding your heart. When you are in the pit with the lion on a snowy day, you must fiercely guard the delicate new growth God is preparing in your life.

John Edward warned that “because iniquity will remain, the love of many will grow cold”. When we face changing seasons in life—even when we don’t expect it, like a sudden snow in middle Georgia—we must realize that dormancy is a strategy, not a death sentence. We can survive the lion, we can survive the winter, and we will bloom again when the Master Gardener changes the season.

Questions for Reflection:

  1. The Lion vs. The Snowy Day: Are you currently blaming your spiritual numbness entirely on “demonic attack” when you might actually be in a natural season of “spiritual winter”?
  2. Spiritual Abscission: Are there obligations, relationships, or activities that you are refusing to drop that are causing the “winter winds” of your current season to tear you apart?
  3. Guarding the Bud: Are you taking active, deliberate steps (like the bud scales) to protect the most vulnerable, new areas of your faith from the freezing conditions around you?

Heavenly Father, Lord of all seasons,

I come to You acknowledging the reality of life’s “snowy days.” When my heart feels cold, numb, and stuck still, give me the spiritual sight to recognize the season of dormancy. Grant me the vigilance to watch for the lion that seeks to take advantage of my vulnerability, and the strength to stand firm.

Help me to prepare for the freeze by storing up Your Word in my heart. When the temperature of my faith drops, give me the wisdom to draw my energy away from outward performance and drive it deep down into my roots—into my hidden, quiet intimacy with You.

Give me the courage to practice spiritual abscission, shedding the heavy obligations, distractions, and weights that threaten to break my branches in the harsh winter winds. And above all, Lord, teach me to guard my heart with all diligence. Like the bud scales that protect the fragile promise of spring, help me to fiercely protect the delicate new growth You are forming in me, even in the deepest freeze.

I trust that this winter is a strategy for endurance, not a death sentence. Give me the strength to endure to the end, resting in the Good Soil, knowing I will bloom again when You change the season.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Tomorrow we will look at opportunistic predators more.

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