A recent news article tells the story of how the eagles in British Colombia, Canada were suffering. It was late winter and some of the eagles were falling to the ground weakened because of the difficulty of finding food. Several were taken to centers where they were cared for. They were malnourished, lacking body fat, infested with parasites and in poor health. Why was this happening? Eagles normally feed on salmon but there was a lack of the salmon in the lakes. This caused the eagles to go to the local landfills where they scavenged through the trash. This resulted in poisoning.
In Cherokee Indian writings they describe the perfect habitat for eagles. They love the coolness of the mountains. They love the deepness of the seas and lakes. They love the blueness of the sky. Their nests are high in the mountains where they have a great view. To be forced to go to landfills to scavenge through trash is a complete opposite picture. It holds no majesty.
Most eagles are found near large bodies of open water so there will be an abundant supply of fish. They also need old growth trees for nesting and the trees need to provide good visibility. Their nest for their young is the largest tree nest known. Both male and female spend time incubating the eggs. While one incubates the eggs, the other spends time hunting for food or nesting material. This is a picture of a beautiful and wonderful way of life. This is where eagles fly.
There is much to learn from the eagle. For Believers to fly like eagles, they need the same type of habitat. The rivers, lakes and mountains in scripture speak of refreshment, beauty, and life. We were never made to scavenge through the trash dumps. David spoke of never seeing the righteous begging for bread. If we are weak because of the lack of spiritual bread, we need to lift our eyes to the hills to where our help comes from. It comes from God and He still rains down manna. We need to take flight to the mountains and deep bodies of water. The trash dump holds poison. We must beware of just going anywhere to get our food. There is a lot of poison out there that masks itself as being of God. With more means of knowledge available than any previous generation there is more reason to be careful. We need to ask God for discernment so we can eat only His manna.
The Canadian story is a prophetic picture of our times. We will grow weak if we don’t have the fish. Jesus told His disciples that He would make them fishers of men. There is strength in fishing for men. New converts always encourage the congregation. New energy and life is the result, as these new believers blend in with the older believers. Fishing for men can be an exciting adventure.
Some believers wait for the fish to come to them. They look for them to come to church on Sunday mornings. In the natural, fish don’t come looking for us. Although this may happen occasionally in the spiritual, we are most often called to go out to where the fish are. The body of Christ needs to transition from coming in to going out. We have been inside the church walls for a long time. It is time to go out. Jesus was always sending them out. The farther the river gets from the temple, the deeper the river becomes (see Ezekiel 47). We need to go to the streets, bars, and places where people gather. There we will find the fish. There we will find the nourishment that the modern day church is lacking. There we will find purpose and fulfillment. It is where eagles fly.
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