LEARNING TO SOAR LIKE EAGLES

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with

wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

(Isaiah 40:31)

My wife and I took a drive just north of Kansas City Missouri to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago. Watching 100's of eagle's glide across the skies above the water was a majestic sight to behold. It seemed like their movements were effortless and natural, like they became one with the wind that carried them. Shouldn't we as believers in the One and only Jesus, the Christ, learn to live, walk, and breathe just as effortlessly?

Lesson 3: Eagle's do not fly, they soar!

Eagles are unique, designed for maximum efficiency. They can change the shape and angle of their wings to adapt to changing environments. They utilize their impressive wingspan, muscular bodies, and adapt to the world around them. Broad wings provide lift and stability, allowing them to soar at great heights. The intelligent use of thermal updrafts and air currents allow eagles to conserve energy during flight allowing them to stay in flight much longer than other birds. Their keen eyesight helps them spot hazards and food from long distances, making them skilled hunters in the sky. Does all this skill come naturally to eagles? No, all of this skill and majesty must be taught to the eaglets, they must be pushed out of the comfort of the nest and learn to soar.  Lesson 2 in Part 1 of "Learning To Soar Like Eagles" showed us that the mama bird forces the eaglet to use the wings it has to reach it's full potential.

Application: The process of learning to fly is both scary and uncomfortable. The eaglet learned by trying again and again. But how do we as believer’s learn to “fly” as effortlessly as Daddy eagle does?

1. Communicate with Jesus. Seems easy right? It can be awkward or even scary to start communicating with our Savior. Remember, He loves you, He died for you, and wants to have a relationship with you. My advice… just do it! There is no formula, no set guideline, no chants or special wording needed. Jesus will meet you where you are and you will learn the most intimate way you can communicate with Him by just starting. Make it a constant conversation. You will grow in your relationship and closeness to God by communicating with Him.
2. Study and figure out how to soar. Learning to soar as a believer is first learned by studying God’s Word. The knowledge gained from careful study and constant exposure to God’s Word is the first step in learning from the Creator how we are built and what our purpose really is.
3. Next is exercising God’s word. Join a church, get involved in a small group Bible study. Exposing yourself to how others live and serve is a vital step in learning to soar. Community is where we learn to have keen eyesight and instincts on how to use our relationship with God to “run and not be weary!”

Lesson 4: Eagles become one with the wind!

Eagles are unique in their flight patterns. Most other birds rely solely on their own strength and flap their wings to produce lift and to gain height. The eagle uses wind and it’s currents to gain height and remain in flight much longer than other birds. The eagle will sit on a rock and once it feels the wind that will carry it to new heights the eagle spreads it’s great wings and uses the wind to circle higher and higher toward the sky without effort. The eagle must learn to feel the wind and how to embrace it’s power.

Application: The Holy Spirit is referred to as the wind many times in God’s word. We can learn how to embrace the Holy Spirit and let Him lift us closer to Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside each of us when we give our hearts to Jesus. But as the Word of God mentions the Holy Spirit has a “still, small, voice.” We must learn to feel and listen to that voice so that we can know when to spread our wings and rise to new levels. We should not try to rely on our own strength but learn to live under the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit. Only then can we “gain height” to “fly” in high places. Those that “wait upon the Lord” will be able to soar and fly without burden under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The Eagle's Nest on Popsoftruth.org

Written by: Ron Mirick

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