Soar On Wings Like Eagles

When we are under attack The enemy is constantly throwing arrows at us, whether we are aware of it or not. The enemy never sleeps; he is always wandering around the earth looking for people to devour. Attacks come in all sorts of ways; he may incite us against ourselves, he may incite others against us, he may attack us with diseases and illnesses, he may attack our loved ones, he may cause calamities - he is always at work. The enemy does not want us to prosper; he instills voices in our minds telling us that we are not good enough, he tells us we are failures, he tells us we cannot make it, he tells us that other people do not like us. The enemy is the father of all lies. The enemy may also be at work in those around us; he tells them lies about us, he tells them we are not what we seem to be, he tells them we are not the people we claim to be. People start attacking us and telling lies about us and doing us wrong. They attack our families, our jobs, and our friends. The enemy w...

 When you know better do better There comes a point when God opens our eyes. God is light and He does not want His children to be in darkness. He opens our spiritual eyes when we develop a relationship with Him. He opens our eyes to whom we truly are and to whom others truly are. He also opens our eyes concerning our circumstances, and also we get to know our purpose. Without knowing it, we walk most of our lives blind; we do not know ourselves, we do not know who others are beyond their physical appearance, we do not know why our circumstances are the way they are, and we do not understand events that are happening all around us. When we have no understanding, we develop pride and arrogance as a coping mechanism. We start explaining away everything. We come up with all sorts of reasons why we are the way we are, why others are the way they are, and why things are the way they are. We have an answer for everything. However, the surprising thing is, the answers and opinion are ...

 Waiting Waiting is hard. Waiting for that job, for the promotion, for the transfer, for the pay rise, for a friendship, for marriage, for a relocation to a new place, for a new house, waiting for a child, waiting for healing and restoration; there are many things we desire and in the process, most times, we have to wait. What makes it hard is our thinking that there is no assurance that what we are waiting for will come to pass. Many give up in the process. When the wait is too long, we become impatient. We want things and situations to work out fast. We want them to work out in our favor. Yet, most times, that is not so. At times, we get what we desire quickly, at times we wait long, and yet still, at times it does not come to pass in our lifetime. The first question we need to ask ourselves is about what we are waiting for. Is it in accordance to the will of God? What is our motive in asking? Are we asking for something out of selfish reasons? Have we made what we are waiti...

 The power of letting go Letting go is difficult. We usually want to hold on to what we know, that which is familiar. We do not want to become uncomfortable, we do not want to face uncertainty. We hold on tightly to what it is that gives us a sense of familiarity. Whether it is a job, a habit, a relationship, a friendship, our past, a certain physical location; it is difficult to venture out. It is difficult to start over. Uncomfortable is uneasy. We ask ourselves: what if we don't make it, what if we do not find another job, what if we do not find another friend, what if the past is all we know? We get into a cycle of worry, of 'what ifs'. It is a disheartening situation. But do we ever wonder if that job is good for us? Is that friendship worth it? Is that habit we are used to edifying? Is the past we are holding on to good for us? There are many things that pull us behind or make us stagnate that we have to get rid of. Growth is painful. Uncertainty is uncomfortable...

 Anger Anger is a strong emotion. During moments of anger, people might do things they do come to regret. When we get angry, we put out a lot of negative energy. In anger, we tell ourselves; the other person has offended us, they should not have done that to us! We get angry at situations beyond our control; when we hit a wall. So many things can elicit anger. Anger is usually a reaction to something. We react. We justify our actions based on what others have done or our circumstances. We ask: Why did they do that to us? Why did it happen to us? Why us? It reflects a lot of dissatisfaction within us. It shows there is an inner turmoil, it shows a complete lack of inner peace. Anger says we have been hurt, and we are holding on to that hurt. It says the other person was wrong. It says they should not have done what they did. It says what happened in our lives should not have happened. It shows we have refused to come to terms with a situation. We go on a 'why' trail. We wan...

 Pride and arrogance Pride and arrogance are vices that are very distasteful. Pride makes us think we are better or superior to others. It is a condition of the heart whereby we project an aura of being more important than others; a prideful heart puts other people down and elevates itself. It is defined as, "a foolishly and irrational corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments." With arrogance, there is a projection of knowing better than others; it is usually an attempt to make up for our weaknesses. An arrogant heart does not admit its limitations; it wants to be seen in good light, it puts others down in an effort to hide its limitations and weaknesses. An arrogant heart says: Look! You don't know much about anything; this is how it is, this is how it is done. It asks, 'Oh, you don't know that! and that! and the other? You should know! It is defined as, "when a person believes he or she is better than others and knows more t...

 Where is our worth found? How do we view ourselves? Esteem can range from low to high. It is affected by many things such as our upbringing, what we tell ourselves about ourselves, criticisms from other people, events that have happened in our lives and in our surroundings, what other people say about us - whether they tell it to us or to other people; the list can go on and on. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we internalize so many things, and that starts affecting us, whether positively or negatively. Most of the time we do things without considering the consequences. We do not stop to ask how that affects other people. The world is full of chaos, and the outward chaos when internalized turns into inward chaos. When the esteem of a person is low, usually that person considers other people better. We have a tendency to put other people above ourselves in an unhealthy way. We admire their lifestyle, their privileged background, their looks, their family, their achievem...

 The spirit of frustration Frustration comes as a result of many things; the cause can range from small things to big, what causes it is subjective to individuals. It is defined as "the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something." It can be due to failure to achieve good results or due to failure to change wrongs or difficult situations. However, either way we look at it, it is usually a negative reaction. We react, we become angry, we put lots of energy on 'what should have been', 'what should happen', or 'why it happened'. We ask 'why me?', we go overboard looking for ways to reverse a situation, ways to get the results we want, ways to get our way! We grieve! Frustration comes when the flesh is fully at work, when we are imposing our way into a situation, when we do not want to accept certain kinds of news, when we do not want to believe or accept certain outcomes; the list is endle...

 Fear Fear is one of the most paralyzing emotions. Fear tells us not to venture out, it tells us bad things will happen, it tells us we should not start something. Most of us live in fear. It is one of the most effective strategies the enemy uses to hold us back. When we live fearful lives, we do not want to face uncertainties, we want to be comfortable. Fear is defined as, "a distressing emotion aroused by impeding danger, evil, pain; whether the threat is real or imagined." Why do we fear so much? We can either have fear or faith. We are told perfect love drives out all fear. We were not brought into this world to fear, we were born to love and worship God, to live fearless lives to our full potential. Yet, most times we give into fear. We feed our minds with fear, we keep saying 'what if'. But what if we confronted our fears? What if we put behind what we think are our shortcomings and do it anyway? What if we look to the One who is the source of all love? How...

Dying to self The Bible tells us not to conform to the patterns of this world. Too many times we find ourselves doing things we would not normally do; the reason being, someone told us to do it or someone influenced us or because we are told that is what people normally do. But what if it is the wrong thing? What if it is out of our character? What if it is against God's Word? What if it will lead us to destruction? Who sets the standards of how we are supposed to be and live in this world? One of the things the Bible tells us to do is die to ourselves, that is, the fleshly sinful nature. We do not follow the crowd if it is going against God, we do not do things just because others are doing it. We die to self. It is one of the most difficult things to do because there is a lot of external influences. Conforming is the easy way. Following Jesus costs us our earthly desires. And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up...

 Patience Patience is among the most important virtues to have. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Patience allows us to wait for God to work in our lives. However, waiting does not mean we do nothing; it means as we trust God for breakthrough, we do what He is directing us to do. It may not be what we would have wanted to do, it may go out of our plans, but if it is God's will, it will go in alignment with His Word. Patience is the ability to hold ourselves back, to not act out of our flesh. It is defined as "the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on negative annoyance." It is also known as forbearance. As humans, we want things quick, we want quick results, we want things to work out fast. Most of the time we run out of patience; we become impatient with ourselves, with our circumstances, with other people. However, we should keep in mind that patience does not mean we shoul...