Freedom to Soar

Freedom. What would life be like if people of all nations in this vast world desired to live in peace and freedom?

As believers, we long for that to happen. Yet, we know the obstacle that stands in the way: the enemy. He rules the earth now. But at the appointed time, God will abolish the enemy forever and create a new heaven and new earth where His children will be free to dwell in peace and joy.

We cannot solve the problems of this present world. But God has given each of us His power to overcome whatever might be holding us captive in our inner spirits and preventing us from living as a free person in Christ.

I was emotionally captive for many years until I asked God to help me overcome my fears and become the person He created me to be. Gradually, rather than trying to be the person I thought others wanted me to be, I began living as my authentic self.

Recently, I read the powerful story below, which deepened my determination to be authentic and keep soaring in freedom! Perhaps it will help you on your own journey of freedom.

“A farmer once found a baby eagle and raised it with his chickens. The eagle learned to live as the chickens did, never attempting to fly. When a bird-watcher saw the eagle, he bought it from the farmer and attempted to teach it to fly. But the eagle would only run around and flap its wings like a chicken. Finally, the man took the bird to a high mountain. ‘You are an eagle,’ he said. ‘You should fly.’ And he threw the bird off the side of the mountain. At first the eagle cried out in fear, but then it spread its wings and soared into the sky.

“Perhaps that eagle sometimes flew over the old farmyard and missed the chickens. But it never returned to live like them, because now it knew what it meant to be an eagle.

“In a similar way, many believers do not fully understand who they are in Christ. As a result, they miss the incredible blessings God has intended for His people. In a spiritual sense, they never learn to soar free above all creation.

“What would it be like to see ourselves as our loving Father sees us? God says, ‘Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We can see ourselves as God does by exercising our faith as we read the Bible, believing what it says about God and what it says about us.

“Isn’t it time to stop listening to what others say about [us] and start listening to God?” 

* Story taken from the Discover God Study Bible NLT, page 2094. Copyright © 2000. Used by permission of Bright Media Foundation, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Did you glean some new insights from this narrative?  I would love to read your comment in the box below. 

Sometimes, it’s easy to believe the lies of the enemy, who whispers negative things about us. His accusations keep us walking on the ground.

But God’s words, which are full of love, are designed to lift us up and give us freedom to soar.

The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will rejoice over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)