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Everywhere in Scripture, eagles represent swiftness
and strength — and the glory of God
James W. Goll
Eagles
are everywhere in the Old Testament; have you noticed? It's because God is
trying to use their example to teach us many things.
He
is making comparisons between us and this amazing bird — if only we will choose
to rely on His strength for everything.
"Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary" (Isaiah 40:31).
Our
all-sufficient Creator does not leave us on our own any more than a mother
eagle leaves her chicks on their own.
And
He cares for us in every way, anticipating our weaknesses and putting fresh
wind under our wings, day after day and year after year.
As
we follow the Lord and follow His call, we can certainly get weary.
He
wants to show us how to have both of our wings ready — the Word of God and
worshipful prayer — so that when the wind of the Spirit comes in force, we can
climb up and draw beautiful circles as we wheel in the sky.
Everywhere
in Scripture, eagles represent swiftness and strength — and the glory of God.
Eagles
as a Prophetic Symbol
The
eagle is one of the biggest and certainly the most majestic of all living
birds.
This
is why so many countries, no less than 25 of them, depict eagles in their coat
of arms.
North
American native tribes use eagle feathers in their religious lives.
Here
in North America, we are most familiar with the golden eagle and the bald
eagle.
The
writers of Scripture would have seen golden eagles, along with three other
kinds of eagles, and more during migration seasons.
Mature
eagles have come to be admired the world over as living symbols of freedom,
power and transcendence.
Eagles
are often considered specifically representative of the prophetic anointing.
People
who make lists of scriptural symbolism always interpret eagles this way — just
think about the proverbial sharp-sightedness of eagles, not to mention their
capacity to "come up higher."
Eagles
are even more meaningful to me. For years the combined ministries of Encounters
Network and Compassion Acts served the Cherokee Nation headquartered in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with acts of kindness, humanitarian aid and prayer.
Because
of this connection, I was adopted by the Cherokee tribe and given the name
"White Eagle" during a special day of prayer.
I
was honored in a ceremony, presented with a long white eagle feather, and
commissioned to "soar into the heavens" in prayer and
prophecy.
I
call the late Bob Jones, one of my prophetic mentors, my "prophetic
papa."
He
was known as a seer, and he wore this one sweatshirt often. Yes, his blue
sweatshirt had the picture of an eagle on it. Nothing could have been more
appropriate.
Bob
had been commissioned as an eagle who would call forth and equip the eagles who
would in turn equip more eagles for the next two or three generations.
I
am now one of those "papa eagles" in my own right, commissioned by
the Lord to empower a global prophetic company.
Eagles
and Us
When
you look at the facts about eagles, you can see all kinds of parallels with
prophetic expression.
Let's look at some of them, keeping in mind the wisdom
of Paul: "However, that which is spiritual is not first, but the
natural, and then the spiritual" (1
Corinthians 15:46).
Remember:
First the natural, then the spiritual. The spiritual does not come first.
There
are over 60 species of eagles in the world.
Undoubtedly,
there are over 60 "species" of prophets and prophetic expression in
the world, too.
Prophets
come in all shapes and sizes and, as you will see in the chapters of this book,
they express God's heart and mind in a wide variety of ways.
As
you may remember, 50 years ago bald eagles in North America used to be on the
endangered species list, since only about 500 breeding pairs were thought to
exist.
About
10 years ago, they were removed from the list, and now enjoy a
"protected" status.
I
see some similarities with what has happened to prophetic voices in the church.
Once in danger of extinction, the importance of the prophetic has now been
restored and elevated in status, at least in many places.
In
fact, it happened over the course of that same 50-year period, in both cases
starting in 1967.
When
I first started out ministering in the body of Christ, prophecy was rare.
In
1967 — the same year that the bald eagle was put on the endangered species list
— three important movements in the church came into being: the charismatic
movement, the Jesus People movement and the Messianic movement.
Back
in 1967, there were not very many "eagles" flying in the church. Oh,
that eagles would multiply in the church, that they would continue to be no
longer endangered, but rather protected!
It's
a natural fact: Eagles can out-fly and out-hunt many other species, and they
take advantage of the food sources they have at hand.
They
may have a big range to cover, and they stay within it once they mature.
They
fly so high in the sky that they seem to come from a heavenly realm when they
plunge to earth in their single-minded pursuit of their prey. I think you can
see how this might be analogous to prophets!
Most
eagles mate for life, and the males and females look quite similar to each
other.
After
constructing large nests with care, they maintain them for their two or three
chicks each season (taking turns feeding the chicks and passing on to the next
generation what they need to know).
Some
eagles build their nests in tall trees. Others, like the golden eagle in
Israel, build on inaccessible cliffs.
From
such heights, they can catch the wind currents and soar even higher — or
plummet to earth at fantastic speed to capture the prey that their "eagle
eyes" have spotted.
As
prophetic people, we too hope to be able to start high, having nested and
rested, from there to catch the wind currents of the Holy Spirit.
From
such a high perspective, our God-given spiritual sight can spot a target that
other eyes would miss. We can see the enemy, and we can see provision.
Did
you know that eagles can see more colors than humans can?
We
can see the three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, and their gradations.
But
eagles can distinguish more colors, including those in the UV range, which
helps them follow invisible-to-humans urine trails of small animals.
More
about eagles' vision: The eyes of big eagles are about the same size as human
eyes, but their vision is up to four times as sharp as human 20/20 vision.
This
means that an eagle can spot prey over several miles from a souring altitude of
a thousand feet. Do prophets seem to have extra-sharp vision as well? I believe
they do.
Eagles
never look back over their shoulders or worry about competitors. They are
beautifully confident and highly focused.
Remember
what Jesus said about putting your hand to the plow and not looking back? (See Luke 9:62.)
Birthright
Andrew
Murray, prolific South African writer-pastor of the early 20th century, once
composed a book called With Wings as Eagles.
In it, he stated: “How did the eagle get its wings?
By its birth. It was born a royal eagle. It has royal descent. ... We are all
born with eagle wings; we have within us a divine nature; we have within us the
very Spirit of Christ Jesus to draw us heavenward.”
Regardless
of whether or not you think of yourself as a prophet, you are prophetic. You
have a connection with heaven that you can renew on a daily basis.
You
can bring heaven to Earth through your words and actions. You are called to fly
higher.
As
an eternal being, you have been called to dwell in the heavenlies. You — yes,
you! — have been called to mount up with eagles' wings so that you can bring
heaven to your little patch of the Earth.
You
can move from the natural to the spiritual in a really natural way.
An
eagle waits for the perfect time to launch into the air currents so that he can
ascend without flapping unnecessarily.
Be
still and just wait for that perfect moment, which will come in its season.
Eagles do not fly high all the time, and neither should you.
The
most powerful prophetic words are relational, not professional.
Reaching out with acts of kindness may be the best
prophetic ministry of all, and you certainly do not have to punctuate every
word with "thus saith the Lord."
Feel
free to change your language, making it less religious and more ordinary, more
approachable. I will have much more to say about this as the following chapters
unfold.
Let
love be your aim (see 1 Corinthians 14:1).
Love
is the conduit that carries faith. Just be a genuine person who cares about
people.
Ask
questions and get to know people. Learn to move in the gifts of the Spirit as
you grow in the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
gentleness and self-control — see Galatians
5:22-23).
It's
a process. Like an eaglet, you were not hatched knowing how to soar or hunt.
Even when you reach maturity, you will have to learn new things.
Just
remember that you have the best teacher you could possibly have, and that He
has promised to perfect the work He has begun in you (see Philippians 1:6).
He
will also recondition you all along the way, much like the way He reconditions
the feathers of a molting eagle.
Never
forget your goal, which is the goal for anyone who is called by His name: to
exalt Jesus.
After John was invited into the heavenly throne room,
he recorded these words: "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
What's
important is not the sweep of your wingspan or the accuracy of your eye.
What
matters is that you train your eagle eyes to keep your focus on Jesus Himself.
As
an eagle of God, are you releasing His testimony?
James W. Goll is the president of God Encounters Ministries and has
traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of
intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He has recorded
numerous classes with corresponding study guides and is the author of more than
forty books, including The Seer, The Lost Art of Intercession, The Coming
Israel Awakening and The Lifestyle of a Prophet. James is the father of four
wonderful children with a growing number of grandchildren, and makes his home
in Franklin, Tennessee.
https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/a-voice-calling-out/44097-how-you-can-soar-with-holy-spirit-s-prophetic-anointing
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