The Eagle Speaks – The Covering

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If you have an emergency you call 911, however I recall someone telling me when a spiritual crisis occurs to turn to Psalm 91:1. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve referenced this text for myself or when ministering to others in a time of pain:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

The writer unfolds the imagery further in Psalm 91:4:

He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.

This was a text I meditated on after encountering the eagle on my bike ride. I thought about how the Eagle builds its nest in high places far above all the predators below, a refuge nestled in a towering tree or a rocky cliff high in the mountains where their young can be raised until they are able to soar on their own.

Psalm 91 depicts a spiritual battle full of flaming arrows shot and plagues unleashed by the enemy. These attacks are accompanied by deadly pestilence and darkness, which seek to destroy. Yet even though thousands may fall all around us we have the promise of security high above the battle in our fortress of the everlasting wings of our Father’s love. The safest place for you and I to be is in the protective presence of the Spirit of God a place of peace and rest.

If you read any posts on social media or the plethora of news reports before and after the elections it is obvious we live in a culture controlled by fear, and make me wonder about where many place their faith. For those who claim Jesus Christ as the King and Savior our lives should display a peace and rest which flows from high above where we are covered under the mighty wings of our Father.

My encounter with the eagle on Election Day, reminded me of my personal need to make His presence my priority. When fear creeps in, my soul becomes agitated and I realize I have left the shelter of His wings and moved down into the dangerous place of self focused living. The eagle beckons me back to Abba Father, so that I can return to His presence, and through trust live securely under the “shadow of the Almighty.”

Hear and hold on to this promise the Father gives to those who love and desire His presence above all found in Psalm 91:14-15:

I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Today if you are in Christ you are covered with His precious blood, you live in a high and holy place where you are covered under the wings of the Father’s everlasting love. Live out of that place and let the world see your powerful rest found in the refuge of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and reign!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eagle Speaks – Waiting for the Wind

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As I watched the Bald Eagle fly over me the other afternoon I couldn’t help but notice how smoothly it soared over the glassy reservoir. So unlike the quacking ducks that constantly flapped their awkward wings, the eagle effortlessly glided upward only occasionally moving its wings. Our Creator God definitely designed the eagle with some unique features. A bit of research revealed that the eagle has enormous wings that can reach over 7 feet in diameter, yet in contrast has a rather small heart that becomes weary with constant flapping. Since it takes a tremendous amount of effort for the eagle to flap its wings, to conserve energy young eagles are taught at an early age to soar on the wind thermals or upward current of warm air.

Eagles are experts at picking out the correct wind thermals and may have to remain perched on a cliff or tree for days until the right current flows. Yet their patience will carry them up to great heights. In fact, eagles are the highest flyers of all birds and have been spotted soaring alongside airplanes at high elevations.

All this additional information about eagles gives new meaning to Isaiah 40:31.

But those who hope (wait on) in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles…”

What a great promise! What a difficult promise! I desire to soar but the waiting or hoping is the challenging part. In many ways we are created like the eagle, blessed with gifts, but possessing feeble hearts. When we move in our own power and strength we burn out and eventually crash. Yet, Isaiah reminds us we are called to wait, hope, and trust in the Wind of the Holy Spirit and learn to ride on His thermals to the places the Father is calling us.

How often have we furiously and fervently flapped our wings in order to keep up with a culture consumed by self-will, power, and promotion, only to be left weary and wounded. Jesus, the master of all flyers, displayed to us in the Gospels that He could do nothing apart from the Wind from His Father and He would not start soaring until the Holy Spirit blew in at His baptism (Luke 3:22, 4:1). Ah…the Wind of God is not like the ways of the world.

Jesus knew the Father’s Kingdom could not invade a dark world through the ways of men but only by the Wind of Heaven, as Zechariah prophesied:

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’ says the LORD Almighty. (4:6)

The eagle encounter spoke to my heart about the season of waiting in prayer for the Mighty Wind of the Holy Spirit to flow with Revival power. I believe a day is soon coming when the Wind will be blowing and His church will jump into Heaven’s Thermal and soar, pointing the world to the glory of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

The Eagle Speaks – Carried into His Presence

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One of the best times for me to pray and think is when I ride my bike. Last Tuesday, Election Day, I hopped on my bike and rode around a reservoir near our house. As I called out to Abba Father for some direction a soaring bird with huge wings landed on top of a tree near the bike path. I quickly applied the brakes, as I was stunned to see a Bald Eagle above me. I pulled out my phone to capture this surreal moment and the eagle flew across the lake to join another eagle resting in a tree. I can count on one hand the times I have seen a Bald Eagle in the wild but to see two was unbelievable!

Mesmerized by the eagles perched high on the tree my mind began illuminating with Scripture texts about the majestic, powerful eagle. As the wind picked up the eagle took flight and soared over my head, again I tried to take a picture of it as it flew by. Well that black dot in the blue sky is the eagle 🙂  Needless to say I enjoyed the bike ride home, as I was filled with praise for the wonder of God’s creation.

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The next morning, as I sat down to do my devotions, my focus turned to the recent elections and I contemplated what it all might mean for our country. Immediately God brought me back to the eagles I had just encountered and how the eagle is the symbolic bird of the United States. I turned the pages of my Bible and began looking up passages about eagles. I ended up with 33 references! The imagery presented in scripture about the eagle is utterly amazing and I think will be an encouragement to many in light of the recent elections. So for the next few blogs I would like to share what I believe the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart about the eagle.

The first truth is from Exodus 19:4: Carried into His Presence

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

I truly believe that our Father is preparing us His children for a new move of God where His passion is for us to be once again in His presence. We have been enslaved to our world, our “Egypt” for too long. Like an eagle God will place us on His wings and carry us out of bondage to His Holy Mountain to once again reveal His glory the place of true freedom. The eagle is a symbol of freedom and true freedom is only found in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Join me in praying that the Father would place us on the wings of the Holy Spirit and bring us out of our sin and into the reviving presence of our loving Abba Father.

 

 

 

 

 

Kingdom Leadership – Burritos, a Prostitute, and the Power of God

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It was Tuesday night and we were walking through a motel parking lot when a lady stopped us to ask for some food. She had noticed us knocking on hotel doors carrying our basket filled with burritos, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies. We willingly loaded her small purse with as much as it could hold and then all of a sudden she unleashed a fury of anger and frustration with a torrent of words I can’t repeat in this blog. She was obviously at a breaking point; it was the end of the month, her phone had just been stolen, likely by a client she had sold her body to, and she exploded with a rage that masked her deep fear. We tried to settle her down and took a few minutes to attentively listen to what was troubling her. Once she calmed down we asked if we could pray over her. She paused for a moment, turned her head so that her eyes met both of our eyes and then quietly responded, “Yes! I need Jesus and prayer.”

Usually one of us prays for any of the individuals we meet, but this time the Holy Spirit nudged my wife Patty to gently touch this wounded woman’s shoulder and ask her if she would start out the prayer time. This sister didn’t hesitate to offer a prayer. So here in the middle of the parking lot, we held hands as she cried out to Jesus, literally crying and asking for forgiveness and help in her desperate situation. After a few moments Patty and I joined her before the mercy seat of God, asking the Father to flood her with His overwhelming goodness. The three of us could sense the Holiness of the moment and as we finished praying her anger and rage was replaced with a calm peace and a hope for a better day. We exchanged hugs; all sighed with relief, realizing that Jesus had just shown up.

That evening on the dangerous streets of East Colfax Jesus allowed us to be a part of Kingdom Leadership. Jesus Himself demonstrated it best when He knelt down and washed the dirty feet of His disciples. It doesn’t make sense to us that King Jesus became a servant and yet He did. And after He finished displaying this powerful picture of Kingdom Leadership He challenged His disciples by saying these words:

Do you understand what I have done for you? …You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I Am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17

Take a minute to reread those words. Jesus is telling us that if we desire to see transformation in our world and witness the goodness of our Father it will begin on our knees serving others just as Jesus served us on the cross. Servant Leadership will open up the door for the Father’s Kingdom to break forth. Burritos, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies become tools for us to share the love in the darkest places, yes even the places where the lies of Satan reign.

When we practice Kingdom Leadership Jesus’ style, you will be blessed by doing the same. It is truly indescribable yet somehow in the middle of the parking lot that evening Heaven came down and glory filled our souls!

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Kingdom Leadership – Towel & Basin

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When you enter into the sanctuary of the church our family attends you are confronted with a potent picture of Kingdom Leadership. On the left stage located beneath a wooden cross is a brown washbasin with a towel draped over it. Every Sunday as worshipers crowd in, lift up praises to Jesus, and hear His Word there is a visible sermon calling them to emulate the actions of the King of the Universe.

The image of King Jesus on His knees washing dirty, stinky, ugly, gross feet the night before His journey to the cross would be forever seared into the minds of His disciples who were still grappling with a man-centered approach of leadership. When Jesus approached Peter to wash his feet, Peter vehemently responded, “No, you shall never wash my feet (John 13:8). I believe Peter was still in the CEO paradigm mode of leadership, meaning the world rotates upon a leader’s wish and command. It would take a betrayal of his Lord, a bloody cross on which His rabbi died, and a restoration on resurrection day to shift Peter’s worldview to the towel and basin approach.

The Kingdom of God would advance by humble servant leaders who followed in the steps of Jesus even if it meant washing the feet of the “Judas’ in their life.” The early church launched an unstoppable movement of Jesus’ love by serving the poor, sick, and the “least of these” which opened wide the door for an introduction to the true King of the Universe Jesus Christ.

Some where along the way we lost our towel and basin approach to Kingdom Leadership. How can I tell? Just observe the emotional reactions to the current election by followers of Christ. Many are distraught, consumed with fear, and even overcome with rage at the direction our country is heading. I know because I have had some of those same emotions. Yet when I walk into church and I see the towel and basin I’m forced to wrestle with Jesus’ approach to a leadership style designed to take over the world with a humble love that serves.

When I reread and mediate on the Kingdom Leadership principles in John 13 I get inspired again in the midst of what appears to be a hopeless situation in our country. The early church faced odds of opposition from the right, left, and everything in between yet in a couple hundred years they turned the cruel Roman Empire upside down with the towel and basin approach and earned the right to share the gospel. Rome was invaded and overthrown by a King who ruled in the hearts of His people because of the towel and basin.

On our refrigerator is a picture of a towel and basin. It reminds our family that there is only one way to lead and that is on our knees washing the feet of others. I pray that November 8, Election Day, will be a day that calls followers of Christ to exhibit the humble act of washing the feet of those in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, work places, those serving in political officials and yes even our enemies. I’m praying another Kingdom movement is about to explode by towel and basin!