The Men Behind The Mission Part 1

Most of us say we want to be “great,” but what we really want is to be seen. That’s why the men with a few lines in the Bible can teach us more than the celebrities we can name. We kick off a new series, The Men Behind the Mission, and start with Benaiah, a man who never becomes king, never writes a book of Scripture, and never chases a spotlight, yet shows up with the kind of courage and character that makes a kingdom steady.

We walk through Benaiah’s defining moments: taking down two Moabite champions, chasing a lion into a pit on a snowy day, and fighting a giant while under-equipped, then using the enemy’s weapon to win. Each story becomes a practical lens for modern Christian men navigating fear, intimidation, insecurity, pornography, anger, anxiety, and shame. We talk about why “don’t fight reputation, fight reality” can change your decision-making, and why courage isn’t pretending you’re fine, it’s refusing to let fear lead your life.

We also get real about men’s mental health and the quiet ways men suffer. Sometimes chasing your lion looks like scheduling counseling, calling a friend, talking to your wife, admitting you’re depressed or burnt out, and choosing integrity over image. If you’re tired of comparison and performative masculinity, this is a reminder that heaven celebrates obedience, and legacy is built through faithfulness when nobody’s watching. Subscribe, share this with a man who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Why This Matters

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You're listening to Excellence Above Talent, a podcast where we have the hard conversations about the lives of men and what leads us to achieve greatness and suffer defeat. Hear from other men's journeys as well, as we all learn and grow together to become inspirations to ourselves and those around us. And now your host, Aaron Thomas.

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What's

The Bible Has Untold Stories

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up, my beautiful people? Aaron Thomas with excellence above talent. It is fascinating that when you open your Bible and start reading more, you start to see just how amazing God is. And you also start to read stories that weren't told to you if you grew up in church. We all know the story of Adam and Eve and Moses and Noah and David, Solomon, Saul. We all know the disciples and their stories. But if you read the Bible, there were people, men and women in the Bible that also had stories that weren't taught to you in church. I guess they're not the big figures or I wouldn't say cool enough, but I would say they're not cool enough. And so you get bits and pieces of the Bible and what your pastor wants you to see. And that's why it's so important to have your own relationship with God so that you can hear these stories. Because sometimes these stories pertain more to you than the stories that are being taught to you.

Launching Men Behind The Mission

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I'm starting a series this month called The Men Behind the Mission. So these were men that you don't hear stories of unless you read the Bible on your own. So let's get into it. When you read the Bible, we naturally focus on the big names David, Moses, Joshua, Paul, Peter, Jesus, and rightfully so. But have you ever stopped to think about all the men whose faithfulness made those leaders successful? We live in a world where everyone says I pulled my own bootstrap up and I got it out of the mud, but that's a lie because we need people to help us get out of the mud. And you hear these stories about these men, but not about the men who were with them, fighting alongside them. Have you ever thought to think what type of men made those leaders successful? The men whose names most people skip over, the men who aren't looking for fame, who don't need the spotlight, they just simply show up when it matters the most. As a man today, I think we've bought into this ideal that if we're not the star, our life doesn't matter. Social media tells us to build a platform, build a following, go viral, become famous, become the guy everyone knows. But the kingdom of God doesn't work like that. The kingdom of God is built by faithful men, faithful husbands and fathers, friends, workers and leaders. Faithful men who may never have a thousand followers, but have the trust of people around them.

Benaiah And Quiet Faithfulness

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Today I want to introduce you to one of those men, and his name was Beniah. You might be asking yourself, who is Benia? Because most people haven't heard his name. And he's only mentioned a handful of times in scripture. But every time he's mentioned, it's because he did something extraordinary. He wasn't king, prophet, he didn't write any books for the Bible, he wasn't standing on any stage, he wasn't asking for recognition, he was simply faithful. And I think that's exactly why we need to study him more. The Bible tells us Beniah killed two mighty warriors from Moab. Think about that. These aren't average soldiers. They were champions. They were the best of the best. They were who the Moab, the Moabites would send out if they wanted to intact fear, if they wanted to show them, the people that they were fighting, the type of warriors that they had in their army. And they would go and do duels, and those guys would kill everybody. So imagine stepping into a ring with two of the toughest fighters in this country and walking away victorious. That should tell you something about Binaya. He wasn't intimidated by reputation because some men lose battles before it's even started. Not because they aren't capable, but because they're intimidated. They hear someone's title, someone's accomplishments, someone's resume, and think, I can't compete. But Binah teaches us don't fight reputation, fight reality. Sometimes the giants you've built in your head is bigger than the person standing in front of you. But then the Bible gives us one sentence that challenged me for years.

Chasing The Lion Into The Pit

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Bonia chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it. I love this story because none of it makes sense. First, why are you chasing a lion? Second, why are you chasing it into a pit? Third, why are you doing it on a snowy day? Everything about this story says run away. Yet Beniah ran towards it. So let me ask you something. What line have you been running from? Maybe it's fear, forgiveness, counseling, having a hard conversation with the people in your life. Starting a business, applying for a job, leading your family spiritually. Maybe it's admitting I'm not okay. Some lions don't roar. Some lions whisper, you'll never be enough. You're too broken. No one cares. Real men don't ask for help. Those are lions too. And there's a theme. What Beniah did, David also did. He killed a bear, he killed a lion, he killed a giant. But David gets the stories, and Beniah gets a few verses in the Bible. People think courage means you're never afraid, and that's simply not true. Courage means fear doesn't get the final vote. I'm sure Boniah knew that the lion could kill him. He just decided that the lion wasn't going to make that decision that day. Some of us have allowed fear to become our leader. Fear decides where we apply, who we become, who we forgive, or whether we forgive, whether we love again, whether we'll trust God. Fear decides everything. But Boniah reminds us, fear should never lead a

Winning While Outmatched

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man. The Bible says Beniah fought an Egyptian warrior over seven feet tall, and that Egyptian had a spear. What they described it as, it was a log that he was carrying around. And Beniah lost his sword in a battle, and he only had a staff. Think about how crazy that sounds. He showed up outmatched, out equipped, outsized, but that wasn't an excuse for him. The Bible says while he was fighting the giant, he took that giant's own spear and killed him with it. And I love that because God has a way of using the very thing that intimidates us to become the thing that gives us the victory. Some of you have survived depression. Now you help other men survive. Some men have overcame addiction. Now you mentor others. Some have survived divorce. Now you're helping restore marriages. God often uses your greatest battle as your greatest ministry.

Loyalty, Character, And Legacy

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Not only did Boniah fight, he stayed loyal. David trusted him. And when David got older, there was a chaos over who was going to become king. Some men abandoned David. Some chose power. Some chose politics, not Beniah. He remained loyal. He stood beside David, then stood beside David's son, King Solomon. Here's what I've learned in this process of reading and living. Talent gets attention. Character earns trust. A lot of men want influence. Few want integrity. Loyalty is expensive. It costs you your ego, opportunities, and popularity. But loyalty also builds a legacy. And regardless of how you feel as a man, you want to leave a legacy that helps inspire and change others. You want to. But I also want to make this personal.

Courage Looks Like Honest Help

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As men, we often think courage is physical. We have to win the fight. We have to be the hardest working person. We can't cry. We have to hide our struggles to show people we don't struggle. But what if the greatest courage today is honesty? What if chasing your lying means a counseling appointment? Calling your friend, talking to your wife, admitting you're depressed, overwhelmed, burnt out. Men's mental health awareness isn't about making men softer. It's about helping men stop dying in silence. Some of the strongest men I know have cried, prayed, admitted to needing help. And that to me is courage. And here's another lesson. You don't have to be David. Beniah wasn't David. He wasn't trying to be David. He was trying to be the best Beniah possible. Comparison has robbed too many men. A lot of men, including myself, compare careers, marriages, money, followers, influence. But let me tell you this, God didn't call you to be David. He called you to be faithful where he placed you. The world celebrates celebrities, but heaven celebrates obedience.

Name Your Lion And Run At It

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So in hearing my voice in this podcast, I want you to ask yourself, what is your lion? Is it fear, pornography, anger, shame, anxiety, insecurity? Maybe it's finally believing you are enough. Whatever it is, stop waiting for it to disappear. Run towards it with God. Because the lion you avoid today might become the testimony that encourages someone tomorrow. So don't avoid it. Run to it. In the snow, in the rain, in the heat, in the mud, run to it. Because while running towards something that you fear, you find yourself getting stronger. So by the time you face it, it's either kill or get killed. And you didn't work this hard, this long, you didn't persevere, you didn't push through all of what you did to die. So mentally you know I'm gonna do everything I can to live. Face your lion, run after it and kill it. Because if you don't kill the lion, when it stops snowing, that lion has the courage to come out of that pit and kill everything around you before it kills you. Those are your options as a man. Either you face it and you kill it, or it goes out into this world and it kills your family before it comes and kills you. And when I say kill, if you don't find a way to kill your anger, your frustration, your insecurities, your pornography, your shame, your anxiety, your fears, it'll get to your family first before it comes to you. But Naya never became a king. Most people don't hear his story. I will never hear his story. Yet thousands of years later, we're still talking about him. Not because he wanted recognition, but because he was faithful. Faithful in private, in battle, in leadership. Faithful when no one was watching. So today, I need you to understand as a man that the world doesn't need more famous men. The world needs more faithful men, men who keep their words, protect their families, stand for something, especially truth. Men who admit they're struggling, men who choose courage over comfort. So this week, don't ask yourself, how can I become more successful? Ask yourself, what lion has God been asking me to face? Courage isn't waiting for the fight to come to you. Sometimes courage is running towards it. If anyone hasn't told you today that you're amazing, that you're awesome, let me be the first to say, you're amazing, you're awesome, I love you. Don't give up, do not quit. The world does not get easier, but you will get stronger. Have a blessed day, enjoy your fort, and remember, go chase your lion.

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Thank you for listening.

Final Charge And How To Connect

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Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And for daily, motivational, and up-to-date content, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at ExcellenceAboveTalent. And remember, keep moving forward, never give up, and you are never alone in this benefit. We'll see you next time.