Coconut
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- Joined
- Feb 17, 2005
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- 4,663
God has promised His people that we would, in a spiritual sense, be able to rise above the effects of the problems and cares of this life as if we had the “wings of eagles.” We are promised the strength and the ability to prevail over the weariness that drains the soul when we trust in Him. Just as the wind lifts the eagle up above the earth, so the Holy Spirit will lift us up above our failures and weariness.
The prophet Isaiah reminds all who are in need of God’s help to look to him when he wrote, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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 40:28-31 NIV
With such a promise, why are so many who say that they are trusting in God still so weak and weary? In many cases it would appear that the problem could be traced back to the influences they allow into their lives. Instead of imitating the eagle and working to rise above their circumstances, they appear to be merely conforming to the attitudes and actions of the crowd.
However, if one is ever going to “rise up” like an eagle above unproductive behavior and attitudes one fact must be accepted—we can’t soar with eagles if we are eating with buzzards, scratching with chickens and running with turkeys. The choice is ours.
Let me explain. When possible, we must choose to part company with people who hold to ungodly and unproductive attitudes. The first of such people are those who have the attitude of a buzzard. “Buzzard” people crave the carnal instead of spiritual and their attitude reflects the rottenness of their affections. Paul explains in Philippians 3:18-19 "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things)." KJV These people are driven by lust, carnal desires, and all things negative.
Furthermore, we can’t spend our time with a “chicken” mentality. As one preacher observed, “The main problem with ‘chicken Christians’ is that they have ‘mights.’ Well, I might do this or I might do that.” They have no direction. They are committed to nothing but themselves. James wrote, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:8 KJV The other problem with people who have a “chicken attitude” is that they are always scratching around trying to dig up something new that they hope will satisfy them—which speaks of a haphazard lifestyle.
Finally, one will never soar with eagles if he is content to run with turkeys. I heard an old turkey hunter in south Alabama comment that “turkeys come into the world running and they leave the world running.” People with a “turkey attitude” are much the same way. They live their lives in fear. They are often too scared to commit to God wholeheartedly and too scared to abandon all faith. Paul met some people like that once in Athens (Acts 17). These people worshiped every God they could imagine—just in case. They were too scared to take a stand of faith. They cloaked themselves with intellectual enlightenment—but they were really just too fearful to make a decision.
Negativity, double-mindedness, and fear are all contagious. Needless to say, those who want to soar like eagles must be wise about their association with those who have lower ideals in life.
- by Mark Beaird
The prophet Isaiah reminds all who are in need of God’s help to look to him when he wrote, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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 40:28-31 NIV
With such a promise, why are so many who say that they are trusting in God still so weak and weary? In many cases it would appear that the problem could be traced back to the influences they allow into their lives. Instead of imitating the eagle and working to rise above their circumstances, they appear to be merely conforming to the attitudes and actions of the crowd.
However, if one is ever going to “rise up” like an eagle above unproductive behavior and attitudes one fact must be accepted—we can’t soar with eagles if we are eating with buzzards, scratching with chickens and running with turkeys. The choice is ours.
Let me explain. When possible, we must choose to part company with people who hold to ungodly and unproductive attitudes. The first of such people are those who have the attitude of a buzzard. “Buzzard” people crave the carnal instead of spiritual and their attitude reflects the rottenness of their affections. Paul explains in Philippians 3:18-19 "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things)." KJV These people are driven by lust, carnal desires, and all things negative.
Furthermore, we can’t spend our time with a “chicken” mentality. As one preacher observed, “The main problem with ‘chicken Christians’ is that they have ‘mights.’ Well, I might do this or I might do that.” They have no direction. They are committed to nothing but themselves. James wrote, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:8 KJV The other problem with people who have a “chicken attitude” is that they are always scratching around trying to dig up something new that they hope will satisfy them—which speaks of a haphazard lifestyle.
Finally, one will never soar with eagles if he is content to run with turkeys. I heard an old turkey hunter in south Alabama comment that “turkeys come into the world running and they leave the world running.” People with a “turkey attitude” are much the same way. They live their lives in fear. They are often too scared to commit to God wholeheartedly and too scared to abandon all faith. Paul met some people like that once in Athens (Acts 17). These people worshiped every God they could imagine—just in case. They were too scared to take a stand of faith. They cloaked themselves with intellectual enlightenment—but they were really just too fearful to make a decision.
Negativity, double-mindedness, and fear are all contagious. Needless to say, those who want to soar like eagles must be wise about their association with those who have lower ideals in life.
- by Mark Beaird
