YOU WERE BORN TO FLY!

One of the more interesting visual images given in Scripture is that of the eagle. Two brief passages present the imagery of the eagle; the first passage presents the visual of God likened to an eagle caring for its children and the second passage likens the people of God to the eagle.

• As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. (Deuteronomy 32:11-12, NKJV)·

• But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NIV; also see Exodus 19:4 NIV)

So, what do you think? If the parent is referred to as an eagle and the child is, too, what does that mean? Yes, that’s right! We were born to fly, to soar like the eagle!

Eagles are known for their ability to soar high above the earth. Some eagles are reported to be able to catch a thermal draft and fly 15,000 to 20,000 feet high. But the ability to fly is not something that eagles are born with—they have to learn this skill. Eagles are not eagles if they cannot fly! Turkeys don’t fly, they strut and cackle!

Eagles build their nests far above the earth, usually at the top of a tall tree high up on the side of a cliff or mountain. In a few minutes you will understand why.

Mom and dad eagle build the nest from sticks and then they pad the interior with feathers, down, grass and leaves. They don’t want their babies to have sticks poking them all day long so they make sure the nest is comfortable and softly lined.

An eaglet has a pretty good life. A great view, a soft bed, and room service throughout the day as mom and dad bring in the latest menu items of road kill.

Baby is growing and enjoying this good life. How easy it would be to spend the rest of one’s life living in this kind of laid-back comfort.

One day mother eagle seems to lose her mind. Instead of bringing the hungry eaglets food, she hovers over the nest and with the downdraft of her powerful wings she blows all the comfortable padding out of the nest. The comfort flies away and what’s left are the eaglets and a less-than-comfortable bed of sticks. But, hey, this is still a pretty good life, with room service and a great view.

But with the stirring of the nest everything begins to change. Instead of bringing the food into the nest, mom and dad start having the children come to them. First, the children have to climb up and get their food at the edge of the nest. Well, that’s new and a little inconvenient, but the children handle it. Then one day no more service into the nest at all. Instead, the parents hover with the food just outside the nest and baby is forced to climb to the edge and stretch out and take the food. A few days later, parents have moved back a little further and as hungry baby tries to reach for the food, it slips and begins to fall.

Baby cannot fly because it has no strength in its unused wings, so down it tumbles and “it ain’t flying but it’s sure trying.” Mother is ready for this and she swoops down and under the falling child, catches it and carries it back to the nest. Baby is unharmed and safe because mother is there.

The next day it’s the same thing. Down goes the child with wings flapping and flapping but it has not learned to fly—yet. Over and over the lesson is repeated and slowly strength comes into the baby’s wings. One day as baby falls and instinctively begins to flap its wings, suddenly everything begins to work and it begins to fly for the first time. Baby is not a baby anymore; now it’s an eagle because eagles know how to fly.

Mother had not lost her mind when she stirred the nest and blew the comfort out of the eaglet’s life. Mother knew that for an eagle to be an eagle, it had to learn to fly.

God will stir our nest and at times He will remove the comfort from our life. He knows that left to our own ways we will choose comfort over faith and so the training begins.

God knows that we have to learn to walk by faith, because without faith we cannot do His work and we cannot please Him.

He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never be inattentive to your cry but He will stir your nest and teach you to fly because, “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

You were born to fly!

GOD'S STIMULUS PROGRAM

(Written in March of 2009)

As I write this article, American news is filled with articles and comments regarding the “stimulus” bill that was signed by the President just days ago. While it will take time, perhaps even years, before we can really know what this particular piece of legislation has accomplished, the initial response from Wall Street and the world financial markets has not been very positive. It has already begun, but in the days ahead we will hear a great deal of “explaining” by both sides of the issue attempting to help us understand why the stimulus has or has not worked. I know this is cynical, but the lawmakers in Washington treat the general public like we are mushrooms—they keep us in the dark and spread manure on us.

God has a stimulus program that does work and it works in good times and bad.

Genesis 26:1-3, 12 says: “There was a famine in the land…. Then the LORD appeared to him (Isaac) and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father…. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.”

When the economy tightens, our natural tendency is to respond by tightening our belts. We tighten things up financially by cutting down on discretionary spending, and that’s not bad. For the believer, however, giving needs to be separated out of our discretionary file. I don’t give to my church or to the work of the Lord using the same consideration as I do when I am considering buying an extra pair of socks or taking my wife out to dinner. When it comes to giving, I do not weigh the positives and the negatives and see which one carries the most weight. If you do that when considering your giving, you will never give. I give because it is a part of my worship and I understand that God blesses a giving and generous spirit. I refuse to allow any taint of legalism or legalistic principles to get into my giving. I give because I want to, I have purposed to, and it is a joy!

Isaac sowed in the midst of a famine because he understood the law of sowing and reaping. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b) and, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

So what do we do as the economy continues to falter and inflation begins to show its ugly face? What were God’s instructions to Isaac? “Don’t go back to Egypt.” Don’t allow worldly principles to guide your decisions. “Live in the land of which I shall tell you.” Stay firm in the faith and in the truth of God’s unwavering care for His children.

God’s promise to His children was really quite simple:

· Don’t stop living as a Kingdom dweller; don’t stop giving because we are in a famine. If we give into that line of thinking, there will always be a famine of one thing or another to stop you from giving to the Lord’s work. If you are not a giver then you need to start, right now, because you are missing the blessing of the Lord. Giving is not going to affect your salvation and you are not cursed if you don’t give, but you will miss out on a lot of the blessing that God promises to the generous!

· Listen for the voice of the Lord and He will speak to you. God has been very precious in speaking to Carol and me in the last few months about our lifestyle and some adjustments He has asked us to make. If God can talk to a hardhead like me, He can certainly talk to you—and He will.

· God promises to be with you. In a way, this is the best promise of all…to know that God is with us, right here, right now! God is with us! If that’s not security, then nothing can be!

· God promises to bless His obedient children. I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. In the natural, if you sow carrot seeds you don’t reap pumpkins. In the spiritual world, when we sow our financial gifts as an act of worship, it is foolish to think that the only way we are going to reap is to reap monetarily. When we give and release it to the Lord, then He promises to bless us and He will do it in the way that He knows will meet our needs and circumstances the best.

So, do you want to “stimulate your harvest?” Plant more seed!

OVERCOMING FEAR AND ANXIETY

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

25 Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

John 14:1, 27 (NLT)

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

(The shepherd’s rod is a symbol of the Word; it is with us to protect, guide and comfort us. The shepherd’s staff is a type of the Holy Spirit who also is with us to guide, protect and comfort.)


Psalm 91 (New Living Translation)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.

8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,

10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.

11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.

12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Philippians 4:4-7 (New Living Translation)

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I HAD A DREAM (ISAIAH 47)

(Originally posted on Feb. 12, 2009)

It is rare for me to recall a dream, so what happened recently got my attention. Most of the time when I awake, a faint memory of my dreams may remain but then fade away like the mist on a warm, humid summer morning.

One morning last week I vividly recalled an incident in a dream. A man was standing facing away from me but I heard him say, “Isaiah 47.” I don’t know what I replied, but whatever it was caused the man to turn toward me and say very clearly a second time, “Isaiah 47.”

I started my day as usual but couldn’t shake what I had heard. I sat at my desk and read Isaiah 47, which in my study Bible is captioned, “The Humiliation of Babylon.”

I have struggled with whether or not to write this article, but I finally decided to share some of the main points with you and let you be the judge. There is no way for me to properly exegete this chapter in 700 or 800 words so I will simply give some of the main points and let you arrive at your own understanding. It will be helpful for you to read the entire chapter.

Verse 1 — I believe Babylon is the world system that in our lifetime has been personified by Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and the increasingly secular and morally bankrupt American lifestyle. Babylon is referred to as the “virgin daughter,” indicating that her walls had never been breached by an enemy. That was about to change!

Verses 1-3 — God has judged the wickedness of Babylon and declared that her sin will be uncovered and judged. Babylon will be removed from her throne and made to sit in humility in the dust on the ground like a common person.

Verse 4 — Israel is the church/God’s people.

Verse 6 — God has let His people be dominated by Babylon because of their disobedience.

Verse 8 — This is a warning to the arrogant who say, “We are great and nothing can happen to us; we will succeed.” Sounds like some of the political hot air coming from Washington!

Verse 9 — Indicates that the destruction will come suddenly. Who would ever have thought that our world would be teetering on the brink of a financial meltdown? Two years ago everything seemed rosy and even last year at this time, there was no great concern about the economy. The prevailing mindset seemed to be, “We’re the strongest, most advanced nation in the world and we can handle anything!”

Verse 10 — The wicked thought they could get away with their private displays of financial and material greed. Does this remind anyone of some of the investment scams and the corporate greed that have come to light in the last few months? Blatant almost beyond belief! Tragically, some did know what was going on and yet they turned away or did nothing.

Verse 11 — This verse stopped me in my tracks! “Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall on you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you” (NIV).

When I read this verse I realized that I had no option but to share this, and those who have ears to hear will hear and those that don’t, won’t.

In the New King James, the phrase in verse 11 is, “You will not be able to put it off.” This is speaking of the calamity/humiliation. In the original language the words “you will not be able” means that there is no way to prevail, no hope of overcoming. The phrase “put it off” means “to cover, to make atonement for, to be pardoned.” God says, “When I declare judgment, the payment of a ransom to stop it is not an option!”

Could the ransom in verse 11 possibly be referring to the “Stimulus Package” now in the news? Is what we are watching anything more than a display of extreme arrogance that believes that intelligence, coupled with an obscene use of money, will stave off calamity? To that arrogant spirit God replies in verse 15, “I think not. No one shall save you!”

This word does not frighten me and I am not afraid for my wife, my children or my grandchildren. I rest in the faithfulness of the God I love and serve. A few days ago I wrote about the miracle of the manna and God’s faithfulness to His children on their forty-year trek through the wilderness. God did not run out of provision when the Jews got to the Promised Land.

No matter what the future brings for us, God’s grace and mercy will be more than sufficient. He will take care of His children! Don’t let the unfolding storms drive you away from the Lord; instead, let them spur you to press in like never before. If you need to, go back and do your first works again. Some of you reading this may need to refresh your relationship with Him. This is not the time to be living like a distant relative.

God is faithful and He unconditionally loves you.

Personalized Healing Scriptures.

Psalm 41: 1-3 (NIV)
1 Blessed is [INSERT NAME] who has regard for the weak; the LORD
delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve him
life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his
foes.

Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
29 He gives strength to [INSERT NAME] and increases the power of the
weak.

Psalm 107:20 (NIV)
20 God sent forth his word and healed [INSERT NAME] ; He rescued him…

Psalm 107:2
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this: [INSERT NAME] is redeemed
from the hand of the enemy!

Romans 8:11
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [INSERT
NAME] , He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to [INSERT
NAME] ’s mortal body through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Daniel 10:19
19 And he said, “[INSERT NAME] , fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes,
be strong!” So when He spoke to [INSERT NAME] he was strengthened,
and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with [INSERT NAME] ; Be not dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen [INSERT NAME] , Yes, I will help [INSERT NAME] , I
will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 57:19
19 I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him
who is near,” Says the LORD, “ And I will heal [INSERT NAME] .”

1 John 4:4
4 greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world!

Romans 8:31-32
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for [INSERT NAME] ,
who can be against him? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give all things to
[INSERT NAME] !

Psalm 32:7
7 Thou art [INSERT NAME] ’s hiding place; thou shalt preserve him from
trouble; thou shalt compass him about with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 29:11
11 The LORD will give strength unto his servant, [INSERT NAME] ; the LORD
will bless [INSERT NAME] with peace.

Psalm 103:3
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all [INSERT NAME] sins and heals all [INSERT NAME] diseases...

1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds [INSERT NAME] has been healed.