Wednesday Open Heavens Devotional - The Eagle Ambassadors

The Eagle Ambassadors - 29 October 2014

MEMORISE: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

READ: ISAIAH 40:28–31. Continue...

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 KINGS 15:33-17:24 and PROVERBS 18:15-19:4

MESSAGE

God has favourites. Certain animals are viewed as God’s favourites because of the way they were used in describing His character in the Bible. For example, the lion: our Lord is described as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in Revelation 5:5. Another is the eagle: God in Exodus 19:4, used the eagle to describe His character of protecting His own. There is much to learn from the eagle. Because the eagle is the king of birds, it has many characteristics that distinguish it from other ordinary birds. A study of some of these characteristics will enable us know how we ought to comport ourselves, manifest what we have been created to be, do what we have been called to do, and have what Jesus Christ died to give to us. We need to learn about the eagle because all children of God are expected to be ambassadors with royal traits like that of the eagle. Our royalty is described in 1 Peter 2:9, which says: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

A thorough study of the eagle reveals that eagles flock together and fly alone. As the saying goes, “birds of same feather flock together”. We as heaven-bound Christians must associate with our kind (Psalm 1:1-3). We must keep company with genuine believers (Hebrews 10:25). We must also tarry in the presence of God in worship, praise and through all manner of prayers (Luke 6:12). The eagle flies alone. Be separate, as commanded in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. You cannot afford to do things the way unbelievers or careless Christians do them. The eagle has a long range vision. An eagle is capable of seeing from afar, both its prey and its enemies (like the serpent, trying to sneak into its nest to steal eggs or kill its young ones). This strong vision of the eagle keeps the enemy away. We as eagle ambassadors must be vigilant and not allow the enemy to sneak into our lives. We must get rid of the little foxes that spoil our vine – the little foxes of unbelief, sorrow, depression and all such things. We must practice peace, joy and righteousness. We must not allow the enemy to infiltrate our homes, finances, relationship, health and spiritual well-being (1 Peter 5:8). We must steadfastly resist the devil at all times (James 4:7). Additionally, an eagle tests before trusting. A female eagle chooses her mate with care. Christian leaders have a lot to learn here. We must be prayerful and exercise great care in choosing our partners and subordinates.

KEY POINT: Eagles are peculiar birds. A heaven-bound Christian is God’s favourite and should be unique.

Source: RCCG, Open Heavens Daily Devotional.