Gracious Emmanuel For Soaring Heavenward Eagles
Matthew 1:21-23; Psalm 103:1-5.
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23). “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalms 103:1-5). There is a connection between Emmanuel and the eagle by creation, conversion, consecration, cooperation, and coronation. You are starting a new journey today and you will soar like the eagle.
S – Special. When you understand your connection to Emmanuel, give yourself to Emmanuel, and Emmanuel gives Himself to you, you become special.
O – Optimistic. It is optimism that makes you believe that you can do what others cannot do. Optimism keeps you from looking down, looking back, or regretting life.
A – Advancing. You will not die but you will continue to advance until you get to the top in Jesus Name.
R – Renewed. As an eagle, your strength and nature are renewed and revived every day.
1. PERSONAL RETURN TO THE LORD, THE GRACIOUS EMMANUEL
Exodus 19:4-5; Isaiah 55:6-7; Luke 15:13-24; 1 Peter 2:25.
“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” (Exodus 19:4-5).
S – Separation. The Lord separated the Israelites from Egypt. There is always a separation of achievers from nonachievers, the saved from the sinner, the downtrodden from the upward-looking people, and the go-getters from people who are satisfied with living ordinary lives. The Lord brought the children of Israel to Himself, but they had to take the step of returning to the Lord when He called them. The Lord has given us Jesus as Saviour, and when you believe in His blood that cleanses us, forgives us, and turns our lives around, He takes us away from the darkness of Egypt to the light of the gospel. If you are going to soar, you must first be separated.
O – Observant. The eagle is observant. Christ has called you for a purpose, and when the distractions of life come, you must be observant enough to recognise them and see the way to the mountain peak. It is being observant that makes us the people we ought to be.
A – Active. There are levels of activity. You can be active by your human strength, by the strength of the Saviour, or by the sustaining power of the Spirit when you allow yourself to be so connected with Emmanuel that you are converted, consecrated, saved, and sanctified. The people who do not have the lifting power of the Spirit in them will always have that gravity of world power pulling them down. But when you give yourself to the Lord, you will become active and become a soaring eagle. All the things that make you idle and indolent, will be taken away and the Lord will renew your brain in such a practical way that everyone around you will see.
R – Responsive. A little stirring by the mother eagle causes the eaglets to respond immediately. God makes us distinct and different from the world, and when the call comes, we obey Him. God has given you forgiveness, freedom, salvation, the nature of Christ, and the mind to do what He has called you to do and to fly, you will fly in Jesus Name. Do not compare yourself with people who are not eagles because God has put in you what others do not have.
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7). As you seek the Lord while He may be found, you will receive the strength, vision, aspiration, inspiration, and gogetting energy and nature you did not have before, in Jesus Name. Wickedness is not just smoking, drinking, or womanising, it involves idleness, laziness, and anything in your life that saps your energy, turns you back from a glorious future, and takes you behind. You must forsake all your wicked ways and thoughts of foolishness and return to God. The Lord will have mercy upon you, pardon you, turn your life around, and take darkness away from your life, and your life will shine in Jesus Name. Let your life have determination, concentration, and consecration, and addict yourself to the calling, profession, and ministry the Lord has called you to.
2. PRESENT RENEWAL OF LIFE THROUGH THE GREAT EMMANUEL
Psalm 103:3-5; Isaiah 40:28-31; Colossians 3:8-10; Ephesians 4:23-24, 31-32.
When you are connected with the great, greatness will come in your life. “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalms 103:3-5). To soar like an eagle, you need forgiveness of sin. If there is any clutter of sin, pressure of sin, condemnation, and guilt for the sin of the past, you cannot be a soaring eagle in that condition. Guilt and condemnation weigh us down, so you need forgiveness to be a soaring eagle that nothing on earth or from hell can keep down. Disease is a dis-ease of the mind, of the body, or the soul, and you need healing from it. Christ heals us from all diseases, whether in the body or the soul. He heals us from broken heartedness (Luke 4:18). When the heart is broken, the future, destiny, and vision are broken. Christ the great Emmanuel has come to heal the disease of the body, heart, soul, and brain can be healed. He will heal you today. He will redeem your life from destruction, from the lies of the devil, and all deception. The Lord will renew your life like that of an eagle and good things will come into your life. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31). God will give power to your fainting heart if you come, ask, and pray. He will increase your strength, might, vision, and all that you need to make you a soaring eagle in Jesus Name. The youth and young men who have no prayer, preparation for the days ahead, or determination to carry out what the Lord is calling them to have at this time, will faint and fall when the time comes. But those who wait on the Lord because they know they are created to be eagles, to soar, to be empowered, to be a person of purpose, will have their strength renewed. Renewal of strength takes effort, taking what the Lord has provided, takes asking, seeking, knocking, takes praying to the Lord. Waiting upon the Lord means setting oneself apart to pray, while other necessary things like food, water friendship are put aside to receive the strength, power, and drive of the eagle and reset one’s goals. You will run and not be weary because the Lord will renew your strength, power, focus, and vision. When your strength is renewed, you will declare, “I can, I will, and I must.”
3. PROGRESSIVE RESILIENCE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR GUIDING EMMANUEL
Deuteronomy 32:11-13; Job 39:27-29; Psalm 61:2; John 16:13.
Resilience makes you look at life and determine that you will not be stopped by the poverty of your parents or the utterances of people. If you are running and you stop, you will get tired, but if you keep on running, you will be picking on strength. You will not stop in your race in Jesus Name. The Lord has made you an eagle, you will reach the top He has prepared for you in Jesus Name. Progress takes perseverance and resilience; it takes deciding that you will not give up but move on. You will move on in Jesus Name. “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.”
(Deuteronomy 32:11-12). When you don’t have any help or sponsor, the Lord Himself will lead you and guide you. He will give you the vision, strength, anointing, provision, and power to soar in Jesus Name. “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalms 61:2). We need to pray and ask the Lord for forgiveness if there is sin weighing us down, pray for healing if there is any disease holding us back, pray for provision if there is any poverty, and pray for Him to take away any bad habit or thought of foolishness. The Lord will bring you to the limelight from the ends of the earth where you were not known. When you are overwhelmed, the Lord will lead you to a place higher than your natural strength, natural expectation, or higher than the attainment and achievement of your family up to this time. The Lord will make you, the number one in your family, and you will go where the rest of your family has never gone. God will give you the wings to soar and rise, and you will soar so high that the things on earth become some small and insignificant that they will not have effects on your life anymore. As you abandon the past and look up to the future, something greater than you ever imagined in your life will come into your life and the Lord will guide you to the peak. You will fulfil the reason for your creation on earth in Jesus Name.
