Soaring with Eagles: How to Know You Are Destined for Greatness

Inside of you God has put seeds of greatness. Those seeds are to germinate and blossom, that’s the will of God for your life. Satan has tried to mess the harvest up by getting mankind off into sin. But Jesus has come! Now through the new birth those seeds are renewed in you. That’s the good news. Any man in Christ is destined for greatness.

Romans 1:19-20 (NLT)
19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

  • As we have witnessed and endeavored to get people to Jesus, we run into the many excuses people give for not trusting in Jesus.
    • What about Africa?
    • What about people that have never heard the gospel?
  • These are accusations against God’s fairness.
  • These verses in Romans 1 tells us that they there is no acceptable excuse.
  • God has revealed Himself in His creation.
  • You can look at certain animals and understand the fact that when the Creator made those animals, He put within that animal clues about Himself.
  • As you look at the animal kingdom today you can see certain positive traits found in God.

ILLUSTRATION: Cardinals
Cardinals are monogamous birds, one male to one female. When the female is not nesting, you will see them come to your feeder in pairs. During the breeding season, which begins in the spring, the male appears to be particularly loving toward his mate. He will bring her food offerings. As she crouches with open beak — and rapidly twitching wings — he will hop by her side, tilt his head just so, and place the food directly into her bill 1.

  • Cardinals are loving and monogamous and are pictures of who God is and what He approves.
  • There’s a negative counterpart to this that was introduced by sin.

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ILLUSTRATION: CowBirds

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite, meaning that it lays its eggs in nests of other species. A female cowbird quietly searches for female birds of other species that are actively laying eggs. Once she has found a suitable host, the cowbird will sneak onto the resident bird’s nest when it is away, usually damage or remove one (or more) egg, and replace that egg with one (or more) of her own (watch a cowbird laying an egg in a Northern Cardinal nest on NestCams). The foster parents then unknowingly raise the young cowbirds, usually at the expense of their own offspring 2.

  • Cowbirds have a conniving sneaky nature which is what God is NOT.
  • As we continue to look at nature we find that God has placed other clues there.
    • Clues in Biological systems.
    • Clues in geographical systems.
    • Clues in astronomical systems for the heavens declare the glory of God.
    • Clues about creation.
    • Clues about His character.
    • Clues about His creative ability.
    • Clues about His massiveness.
    • Clues about His grace and power.
  • There is a road map to God laid out in the stars and ecosystems of this world.
  • Isn’t it amazing that scientists have tried to disprove the Bible and ended up becoming believers?
    • How come?
    • They ran into the clues.
  • Scientists have tried to prove evolution and got saved.
    • Why?
    • They ran into the clues.
  • Now if you can look at an animal and see a clue about God in that animal, what about you?  Do you think the Creator put some positive clues in you?

1 John 3:2-4 (KJV)
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Get A Clue About You

  • Inside of you God put seeds of greatness.  And those seeds are to germinate and blossom.
  • Satan tried to mess it up by getting you off into sin.
  • But Jesus came and now you have been born again and those seeds are renewed in you.
  • “If any man be in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) is what the scripture says which translates to “You are destined for greatness!”

Revelation 4:1, 6-8 (NCV)
1 After the vision of these things I looked, and there before me was an open door in heaven. And the same voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 6 Also before the throne there was something that looked like a sea of glass, clear like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living creatures with eyes all over them, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion. The second was like a calf. The third had a face like a man. The fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of these four living creatures had six wings and was covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. He was, he is, and he is coming.”

  • Did you notice the flying eagle in verse seven?
  • An eagle is a godly image.
    • To such an extent that there is a living creature around the throne resembling the eagle.
  • The eagle is distinguished among the feathered race for the swiftness, the power, the height of it’s elevation.
  • All birds fly but none like the eagle.
  • No other bird is supposed to fly so high, none ascends with so much power, none is so magnificent and grand in it’s ascent to the sun.
  • The characteristics of eagles are transferred to man.
  • In the eagle, there are clues about you.

Eagle Clues About You

2 Samuel 1:23 (KJV)
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

  • In this verse, Saul and Jonathan were compared to eagles but they’re not just special ‘eagle’ cases.
  • No, you are in the same league in Christ.
  • You are swift and powerful like the eagle.
  • God considered Saul an eagle. It’s how God viewed him.
    • He was God’s pick as Israel’s first king.
    • Yielding to sin brought Saul down from lofty heights to ‘turkey’ level.
  • God sees you the same way. He sees you as an eagle.
    • So, stop talking negatively about yourself.
    • Don’t say, “You know I’m not too swift.”
    • Yes you are!
      • You are as swift as an eagle.
      • Your destiny is to be like Jesus.

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Revelation 3:11 (KJV)
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

  • Notice how Jesus comes. He comes quickly. He comes swiftly.
    • And you are like Him, swift, quick, sharp, and bright. That’s who you are.
  • Ask yourself, “In what areas am I to display swiftness?”
    • As a believer in Jesus, what should I be quick to do?

Be Swift to Repent

  • One day Jesus told a story about two sons?

Matthew 21:28-32 (NLT)
28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. 30 Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two was obeying his father?” They replied, “The first, of course.” 31 “I assure you, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the way to life, and you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to turn from your sins and believe him.”

  • In this story, which son are you?
    • Which son do you identify with?
  • Neither one!
    • You are the son who seeks to know God’s will and when you find it, you do it.
  • Why? Because you are swift in this area.

Swift to Forgive

  • The love of God is in you which means you are quick to act on Mark 11:25.
  • That seed is in you.

Mark 11:25 (KJV)

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

  • You are not slow to forgive.
  • You do not forgive in begrudging fashion.
  • That’s not who you are. You are quick and swift to forgive others.

Swift to Believe

Do you remember the disciples on the road to Emmaus?

Luke 24:13-30 (KJV)
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

  • What did Jesus say about these two?

25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

  • Jesus said, these two were ‘slow to believe’.
  • It is not your destiny to be ‘Road to Emmaus’ disciples.
  • You are not slow of heart to believe.
  • You’re an eagle and eagles are swift to believe.

Swift to Pray

  • You are swift to run to God when you have a problem.
  • You don’t run to man.
  • You don’t manipulate people.
  • You don’t have to drop hints because you believe God hears you when you pray.
  • You are not like King Asa who did not consult God in the middle of his distress.

2 Chronicles 16:12 (KJV)
12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

Swift to Act on God’s Word

  • Do you remember Naaman’s reaction to the word of God coming from the mouth of Elisha?
  • Naaman was a leper.
  • God gave him a word from His mouth via the prophet. A word which would undo the foul effects of his leprous state.

2 Kings 5:10–14 (KJV)
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

  • Naaman’s reaction is not your reaction.
  • It is not who you are.
  • You are not a doubter of God’s Word.
    • You are an eagle.
    • You are swift to act on God’s Word when it is presented to you.

Swift to Hear

James 1:19 (KJV)
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

  • You are an eagle.
  • Eagles do not have have ‘foot in mouth disease.’
    • It is not common among the species.
  • Eagles are not threatened by others. They are not insecure.
  • They don’t always have to have the last word.
  • Eagles are a confident lot.
  • That’s who you are.

Call to Action:

You are God’s eagle and you are destined for greatness. You can’t help it. The seed is in you. Make up your mind to quit living like a turkey. Act according to your royal roots. Look at the Son and fly.

Question: Do you see any other eagle characteristics that are true of you as a child of God? Please leave your comment in the comments section below?

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References

  1. http://www.loudounwildlife.org/HHColorfulCardinal.htm
  2. http://nestwatch.org/learn/general-bird-nest-info/brown-headed-cowbirds/