What Kind of Bird Are You? Part 2

Guest blogger - Jerry Boyer from www.heart-talks.com

The Home of the Eagle

When the eagle makes its nest, it goes up to the very top of the mountain. Both the male and the female eagle will work together to build a home. Likewise, it     takes the mother and the father working together in unity to build a home. When the father corrects the children, the mother should be right behind him, and the same rule should apply when the mother is correcting the children. They both must work together in order to build a home.

When the eagles begin to build a nest, they go out and gather large limbs, somewhere between five and six feet long. They use them to build the bulk of their nest. Depending upon the kind of eagle, an average size nest, is bigger than a No. 3 washtub (three feet wide). Once the bulk of the nest is built, they go out and gather small twigs and put them into the nest to make it just a little better. Next, they line all those little twigs and limbs with mud and mulch; then they line the nest with animal furs. This makes a beautiful home for the eagles.

Just as the eagle's home is built on the top of a mountain, God's church is on Mount Zion. Hebrews 12:22 says, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…" I am glad to be a part of the New Jerusalem, I am glad that she has been established on the top of the mountain   far above the 'hills of false religion' (human religious confusion -- the work of men).

Little eagles are brought up in a loving atmosphere. During the time of incubation the mother eagle sits on the eggs and occasionally will reach over to the male eagle, and they will lock their feet together; then the male eagle will reach over and rub his head against hers and kiss on her. After they do that for a while, the mother eagle will hop off the nest, and the father eagle will sit on the eggs. Then the male eagle will reach out to her, and she will rub her head against his and kiss on him.

Do you know why a lot of young people get married and end up fighting all the time? The reason a lot of people cannot get along today is due to the way they have been raised. That is what they have been taught to do. That is the way Mommy and Daddy lived before them. I am glad I was brought up in a loving        atmosphere, where Mom and Dad loved each other and got along in unity.

Training the Young Begins Early

Once a baby eagle is hatched, its father and mother begin training it right away. We need to do the same with our children. If we wait until they are teenagers,     we will have waited too long. For that matter, if we wait until they are five years old, we will have waited too long. We must start training them early. May God help us. I say that in reverence and godly fear, because I have several children of my own to raise, and I pray every day that God will give me the wisdom to                know how to do it.

Soon after a little eagle is born, one of its parents will stay with it while the other one goes out to kill something to eat. After it brings that fresh meat back, the adult eagle first chews up the meat, and then spits it into the little baby eagle's mouth. As I studied this, I thought, it would be good if you and I would 'chew up some      things' before we give them out to others; in other words, we should practice what we preach.

After the baby eagle grows a little, its parents begin to train it. One of its parents will go out and catch a rabbit (it does not kill it), bring it back, and teach that          little eagle how to kill it itself, right there in the nest. They want that little eagle to know how it is done. Brother, we need to train up our children the right way. Proverbs 22:6 tells us, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Some may say, "They need to make their own     decisions." It is true that children have a free moral agency, but I will tell you what my father and mother did: they made my decisions until I became of age. As long as I lived at home, Dad told me when to get a haircut, and I soon learned that when I came back, I had better have a decent haircut.

Proverbs 19:18 says, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." Parent, you had better correct your children while there is        hope; do not spare for their crying. Do you know what is wrong with a lot of teenagers today? Their parents did not correct them while there was hope.

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the 'rod of correction' shall drive it far from him (Proverbs 22:15). If you do not correct your children when they need to be corrected, according to the Bible; that is a sign that you do not love them. Do you know which children are 'more tender' and get saved at a young age? Those who have had their 'stubborn will broken' -- not their spirit. On the other hand, those who have been allowed to have their own way and do their own thing are the hardest children to get saved. They are too rebellious and stubborn.

I believe that one of the reasons I am saved today is that my mother and daddy broke my 'stubborn, rebellious will,' and whenever it started to rise up, they            broke it again. They spared not the rod of correction. Some would say, "They must have been mean.' No, they did it because they loved me. Some parents are afraid that if they spank their children, they will turn against them, but that is not so. If it is done in the right manner, they will love their parents for it.

In Proverbs 29:15 and 17 we read, "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame…Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." My friend, you had better correct your children when they need correction. If you let them go their own way and   fail to bring them into subjection, they will bring you to shame. I realize that even if you do raise them up right, there is no guarantee that they will be saved. However, one thing is certain, God's Word has promised that they will never get away from their godly training. I know there are supposedly modern ways to raise  children today, but I still believe in going by the blessed old Book. People are always trying to give advice on how to raise children, but the best people to take advice from are those who have done a good job themselves.

An Eagle Stirreth Up Her Nest

When a little eagle is about twelve weeks old, it still has not learned to fly. So one day, when the little eagle is out of the nest and walking around on the rick, the mother eagle will go over to the nest and take all the fur out and throw it over the cliff. When that little eagle gets back into the nest that night, it will sit this way and that way to try to get comfortable. Finally it will look over at the mommy and daddy eagles as if to say, "This is not like it used to be." That is what the Scripture means in our Scripture text where it says, "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young…" (Deuteronomy 32:11).

Again, the next day, while the little eagle is out on the rock, its mother will go back to work on the nest, and this time it will take out all the little twigs and throw them over the cliff. Later that night, when the young eagle gets back into the nest and sees that nothing is left but the bulk, once again, it looks over at its              parents as if to say, "It surely is not like it used to be!" (Saint of God, when God starts stirring your nest to get you ready for something, it will never be like it used to be.)

Finally, the next day, the mother eagle will completely destroy the nest. For the first time in that little eagle's life, it has to sit on that cold rock all night long. Early the next morning, the mother eagle will look over at the little eagle that is sitting there shivering, and seemingly saying, "Oh, it is not like it used to be!" Its mother will then walk over and motion her head as if to say, "Climb on boy." The little eagle will not know any better, so it will get on her back and snuggle down in        those warm feathers as if to say, "Mama, I have been out on that old cold rock all night long. You feel so good and warm to me, Mama. I love you." About that time, she will say, "Hold on, boy," and she will take a leap off the cliff  that will nearly scare the little eagle to death. As she flies higher and higher, she will gain speed. (I know what it is like to go seventy or eighty miles per hour, but imagine flying at one hundred thirty-seven miles per hour; that is making speed.)

Something within the little eagle convinces him to look over the side, and when it does, it says, "Mama, get me back to that rock!" Then about that time the mother eagle says, "Hold on, boy!" and starts flying straight toward the sun. All at once, she will turn over and fly on her back, and will cause that little eagle to lose its hold, and its heart will be all the way up in its throat, so to speak. It will start screaming and hollering because it fears that it is going to splatter on the ground below and be killed. However, what that little eagle does not know is that its mama can fly faster than it can fall!

I am glad that my Heavenly Father can fly faster than I can fall. David said in Psalm 73:2, "But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped." About the time when I was getting ready to hit the bottom, the Lord came down, got hold of me, and rescued me, praise God!

We need to commit the keeping of our souls unto Him as the faithful Creator. I am glad that, as Jude said, He is able to keep me from falling. If it were not for          God being able to keep me from falling, I would have lost out a long time ago. I am glad that God is able to keep those who are willing to be kept.

Before that little eagle falls too far, its mother will rescue it. Oh, it held on tightly before, but it will really dig in now, and it will nearly draw blood, as if to say,             'You had better get me back to that rock. Don't you ever do me this way again!"

After all of that happens and that little eagle gets back to its rock, it starts prancing and hollering. Somebody may ask, "What do you think it is saying." "Thank God for the rock! I am glad to be back to safety. I am glad to be back on something that is sure." The Bible tells us, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth     sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his" (11 Timothy 2:19a).

In the Shadow of His Wings

The mother eagle flies underneath the little eagle to keep it from falling, but there is something I want to tell you about the daddy eagle. It has five primary feathers in its wings, and it is able to move them in such a way that when it flies fast, it creates a current behind it. Whenever it is trying to teach that little eagle how to fly, it knows how to move right out in front and get that little eagle right behind that current. Whenever the little eagle gets in that current, it does not make any difference whether it flaps its wings or holds them in, the current will take it into safety.

That is what we, as Christians, need to do. We need to learn to yield to the Spirit of God and let Him take us safely on into home. When we get out and try to do things on our own, we become a failure. We cannot do anything without Him.

Just as the little eagle in that current is under the power of his father, we need to be under the power of our Father. We need to let the Holy Ghost guide us. I am glad, not only for the saving grace of Jesus Christ, but also for His keeping grace. His keeping power is just as mighty as His saving power. The same grace that saved you when you were lost and undone, if you will yield to God and stay faithful, will lead you safely into Glory.

I am reminded of the song which says, "Under His wings, 0 what precious enjoyment! There will I hide till life's trials are o'er; sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me; resting in Jesus, I'm safe evermore." Oh, it is precious to rest in Jesus. After learning these things about the eagle, I know what it means to rest under His wings. Psalm 57:1 says, "Be merciful unto me, 0 God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."

Let us look now at the one exception to which an eagle would be found in a storm. The one exception is, when its little one is in the nest, it will not run off and leave it. It will stay right there, because a little eagle is afraid of storms. When the lightning flashes and the thunder rolls, right before the rain begins to pour, the mommy and daddy eagles place their wings over the little baby eagle.  They make a canopy over the nest, and the little eagle rests safely under their wings.

We, as Christian people, ought to be filled with the Spirit of God so that when new converts get saved, we can take them under our wings and help them when they are in a battle, or in a storm. I am thankful that when I got saved the saints of God took me under their wings and cared for me when I needed help. If they would not have done that, I might not have made it.

Exodus 19:4 says, 'Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." Here God was talking to His people, IsraeL telling them how He had brought them out of the land of Egypt. How did he do it? He bore them on eagles' wings.

A Happy Flight

It is not easy to cage up an eagle. If you try to cage up a wild eagle, you will have a fight on your hands. There was once an eagle that got wounded, and a farmer caught it and put it in his chicken coop. He did not know that the eagle was a meat eater, and when he turned that eagle loose with those chickens, he noticed that it hung its head low.

After several days went by, the farmer could not figure out why the eagle was not eating. All it would do was drink a little bit of water. One day he was out feeding the chickens, and he heard a noise above him that sounded like screaming and hollering from another world. He looked up and saw two great eagles circling the chicken coop. They were hollering and screaming for that little eagle.  The little eagle raised its head when it heard that call and it ran out leaping and jumping with everything that was in it. It hit the top of the coop and came back down. Over and over, it leaped with all its might, only to fall back down. The farmer saw that the little eagle wanted to be set free; so he opened the door and let it fly away. That little eagle ran outside, caught a little bit of wind, and flew away with the other eagles.

One of these days, I am going to hear a call from another world, and I am going to take my flight (not an airplane flight, but a plain air flight) to another world that I have never seen. This earth is going to lose its gravity, praise God! and I am going to go to a better country where all of my troubles will be over.

John, the fifth chapter, says the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. That hour is coming, but he went on and said that the hour is coming, and now is, when they that hear shall live. When I got saved, I heard that first voice, but thank God, one day if I stay true and faithful I am going to hear another voice. I do not know what I will be doing when I hear that voice, but praise God forever, I am going to take a plain air flight out of this  world.

The Moping Period

Now I am coming to the most serious part of this message. Some eagles go through a phase, which is known as the moping period, some- where between thirty to thirty-five years of age. What do they do? They quit utilizing the power that God has put in them. They quit flying and go down in the wilderness, and some eagles never get out.

That eagle that could once fly at one hundred thirty-seven miles per hour can only fly at approximately thirty-seven miles per hour in the wilderness. A chalky substance starts to build up on its beak, and it is not able to eat or breathe properly anymore. When that happens, it is not able to fly like it used to. The longer it stays in the wilderness, the worse it gets. I do not know what makes an eagle go down into the valley, but for some unknown reason, some of them.

Similarly, some people quit going to church. I do not know why people quit reading and praying, but sometimes they do, and when that happens, they go down in the wilderness. You can tell when people get down in the wilderness, because as Isaiah 3:9 says, "The shew of their countenance doth witness against them…" Brother, when you are not where you ought to be spiritually, and you have left the Rock and the mountaintop, your countenance will tell on you.

During this moping period, a mucous starts to build up in the eagle's eyes; this closes up the tear ducts so that it is not able to cry anymore. (This has happened to a lot of Christian people. They have been down in the wilderness so long that they cannot even shed a tear.)

When eagles get down in the wilderness, other eagles that once were there and know what they are going through will come along and drop fresh pieces of meat down to them, day after day. They want them to gain the strength to get up out of there. Those eagles down in the wilderness are too weak to go out and kill fresh meat for themselves. Likewise, when we, as Christian people, see other Christians down in the valley, we ought to drop them fresh pieces of meat. There are people today who are in a wilderness condition, and they have heard message after message. They have had fresh meat dropped to them, yet they are just like some of those eagles who, once they get down, will not put forth the effort to get back up. You cannot live in a wilderness condition forever. If you do not do something about your condition, it will eventually kill you.

Wilderness Conditions That People Get Into

I would like to mention some wilderness conditions that people get into. Sometimes people get into the wilderness of unconfessed sins. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." You are not going to prosper spiritually until you are willing to confess and forsake sin. You cannot cover sin.

Some people get into the wilderness of unkept promises. Perhaps when they were on their sickbed, when their child was sick, or when they were going through some other hard place in life, they made great promises to God such as, "O God, if you will do this for me, I will do that." Then when God does answer prayer, they fail to live up to the promises they have made to Him. The Bible says that it is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it.

A lot of people today get into the wilderness of an undedicated walk. They are not dedicated in their prayer lives or dedicated to studying the Word of God, and some are not even dedicated to attending the house of God. If you are in that wilderness, you had better get out, or you will die spiritually.

There is an Indian that lives not too far from where I live, and he loves eagles. There is a wilderness close by, and he goes down in the wilderness nearly every day and watches those eagles. He watches the other eagles fly over and drop fresh pieces of meat to them. Some put forth the effort to go over and pick up the fresh meat and eat it and gain strength Then they will walk back up the mountain, get back on their rock and remove the chalky substance from their beaks, sharpen their claws, and once mount up with wings of eagles. That is the glorious part.

The sad part is, all of the eagles that die in the wilderness could have gotten help, but they refused it. I am fearful that there are some people to whom God has given opportunities to get help, but they have refused it. If you are in that condition, my friend, do not put off too long taking advantage of the meat that has been dropped your way. Instead, ask God to give you the strength to get out of the condition that you are in.

Some are in the wilderness of unweeping eyes. Those eagles that get down in the wilderness have mucus in their tear ducts, which causes them not to be able to weep or see properly anymore. Similarly, if you are in a wilderness condition you cannot weep over souls that are lost and on their way to hell. There are those who are in the wilderness of bitterness. When one person is defiled with bitterness, it will have an effect on others,  and many will be defiled. There is also a wilderness of discouragement. Most people who backslide have been discouraged for a period of time. My friend, discouragement is the breeding ground for despair. Some have already been in this wilderness far too long. The devil has gotten them in such a shape that it seems as if there is no way out. However, I am glad to tell you, Christian brother or sister, lost friend,  that God has a plan and He knows just how to get you out of the mess you are in, if you really want out.

There are dear ones who are in the wilderness of confusion. They do not know what to do or which way to go. The devil will keep them confused if they allow him to. They need to get out of that wilderness and come back to the Rock, Jesus Christ. God is not the author of confusion and you do not have to stay in that condition any longer.

It is sad, but true, that some are in the wilderness of an uncertain future. They know that they are not ready to meet God, and if they were to die, they would be lost. How sad it is that many people across the land, young, middle-aged, and older folks alike, are in this wilderness.

When the prodigal son was in a far country, he remembered his father's house, and he got out of the place he was in. When he came to himself, he decided to arise and go to his father, and say, "I have sinned, and I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.'

Remembering, Take Some Fresh Meat and Go Back To The Rock

I believe one of the reasons those eagles in the wilderness go back to the rock is that they remembered how precious their rock was to them. They remembered all the good times they had on their rock; they remembered how they were born near it, and they remembered the time that their mothers took them out to ride, and how glad and anxious they were to get back on the rock. 0 my friend, you need to flee to your Rock. If you have left your Rock, if you have left Father's house, you need to come back. Do not die in that wilderness condition.

The devil causes lost people who do not even profess to be saved to get into wilderness conditions. He makes them think there is no way they can be saved. They think, "I am doomed for hell; there is no hope." That is a lie of the devil. If you are in the wilderness of doubt and unbelief, you need to flee to the Rock. You need to flee to Mount Zion. If you want to be saved, from the depths of your heart, Christ will save you and set your feet on a solid rock, then you will be able to stand. Will you come home to your Rock? Will you flee from confusion, bitterness, or whatever wilderness condition you are in? No matter what kind of wilderness condition you are in, I am glad to tell you that the answer is Christ. You need to take some 'fresh meat' and get back to Mount Zion.

What kind of bird are you? You can be like the eagle. Remember the words of our Scripture text, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles…" Isaiah 40:31). You need to lay aside whatever is hindering you, and get sharp on the Rock.