The Mountain Eagle

Isaiah spoke these beautiful words: “But those who wait on 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.” (see Isaiah 40:31)

When the eagle is about ready to rise up it stands with one foot on the cliff and one raised in preparation for flight. To mount up is to have a foot forward ready to rise up. We cannot mount up with both feet on the ground. When the first flash of lightning streaks in the distance the eagle starts upward. The wind from the storm comes under him and he begins to soar. The storm propels him upward. He goes above the storm. This is our spiritual privilege. We are called to mount up. The storms cannot destroy us for we mount up above them. The eagle shrieks as he rises. Scripture teaches us that a shout has power. From the inner parts of us comes a cry that gives us strength.

Sometimes the eagle will go into the mountains and begin to pick all of his old feathers out. A waterfall is the ideal place for him to do this. After picking all the old feathers out, he then waits for the new ones to appear. We are living in a time in which we need to pull out the old feathers and allow new ones to grow in their place. Only Holy Spirit can reveal to us the old feathers we need to pluck out. For some of us it will be attitudes of criticism, envy, jealousy and pride. For others it will be letting go of traditions that are useless and powerless. And yet for others it will be making adjustments in different areas of our lives. Jesus said new wine needs new wineskins. Are we willing to let go of everything to follow Jesus in these times? Are we willing to make adjustments so we can soar with Him in these times of Revival and Outpouring? It can be the small things in our lives that hinder us from receiving all God has for us. It is the little foxes that spoil the vine and thereby hinder the fruit from reaching fruition. (see Song of Songs 2:15)

If we will judge ourselves it is much easier. The Judgment Seat of Christ is a place where the hay, wood and stubble are burnt up. It is also the place where gold, silver and precious stones are tested and remain for His glory. (see II Corinthians 5:20) We often think of judgment as a future event. Why not come before his judgment seat now? Why not ask Him to cleanse us of all that is useless? Allowing the judgment now should lessen the judgment later. As Holy Spirit reveals to us the old feathers in our lives we can throw them in the water and let them wash on down the creek. What a joy to wait on the Lord and receive the new, fresh feathers He has prepared for us. As His waterfalls roll over us and refresh us, soon we will begin to see the new growth of feathers that will enable us to rise up higher than ever. This is the time for adjustments. Like a chiropractor pops our bones and there is a noise as the adjustment comes, may we hear the pop spiritually of our alignment coming into place. Alignment is the greatest surety of experiencing the things of God. If we are in alignment like we should be, there is no way the Presence of God will miss us. Again, Holy Spirit is the best instructor for alignment. Ask Him to show you how to move to the right or to the left in all the areas of your life.

Obedience in the little things brings us into greater alignment with Him. It gets us in position to catch His wind when He breathes. This enables us to soar! Then we will mount up on eagle's wings! To do this we must live in a place of doing what we hear the Holy Spirit saying and as He reveals to us what Father is doing. When we are obedient in the surrendered lifestyle we are getting ourselves aligned and prepared for the next wind of the Holy Spirit. This will allow us to rest since we won’t have to do all the climbing ourselves. This allows us to soar where we haven't soared before! The Psalmist tells us we will go from strength to strength. ( see Psalm 84:7) One of the Hebrew definitions of the word for "wind" is "to receive impartation of war-like energy.”

For most of us it will be like a new walk. When Jesus called the disciples they had to leave jobs, family, dreams and familiar surroundings. It may sound like it was a hard thing for them. I don’t think so. I think it was an easy choice to leave everything to follow Jesus. When many were leaving Jesus, He asked the remaining ones if they were going to leave also. Their answer was, “Where else can we go? You have the words of life.” (see John 6:68) There was so much life in His words. There were things each day that may have been difficult for them to understand. He talked often of death and the cross. This was hard for them to understand. But, whatever confusion there was could not overpower the fulfillment they found in following Him. He offered them so much life that everything they gave up paled in comparison to what they were receiving. When we choose to walk the higher places and leave the lowlands, the view will outweigh any regret. The new things will have eternal significance and we will be glad we made the change. The view from the eagle’s eye is awesome.