Up Where We Belong: Reach For It!

But those who trust in the Lord
will find new strength. They will
soar high on wings like eagles
(Isaiah 40:31 NLT)

In this 21st century, it seems implausible that women are still seeking empowerment!  Now I know that covers a lot of territory depending on where you see the lack.  Maybe its on the job where the proverbial glass ceiling is holding tough.  Or perhaps you're still nursing your wounds over the fact that Hilary Clinton wasn't elected President of the United States. If you're a Feminist, we could stay on this subject all day long....but do we need to?

As a woman, I too am tired of women being the butt of every joke. Demeaned in every rap song, objectified in media of every type, and a cliche in every serious discussion.  But what saddens me most is that for some of us, we've  begun to drink the Kool-aid (believe that it is so) and have started acting the part!  I'm here to remind you that it is time to grab another sister and victoriously Rise Up Where We Belong...To Reach our highest potential in Christ!  To Become More of Who We Already Are in HIM!

I don't know about you but when I'm in need of inspiration, I don't run to the nearest bookstore and find a New York Times best seller on the subject.  I look in God's Word, and it never fails me.  I get just what I need to put me on the right path.  More times than a few, His Word  points me to the simple things in nature, for example the awesome and majestic eagle!

In Isaiah 40:31, I'm encouraged to wait on the Lord and He shall renew my strength and I will mount up with wings as an eagle, run but not be weary and walk and not be faint. Is that not the perfect remedy for weariness of the mind and soul?  

The great eagle in many pictures looks fierce and intimidating but don't you know it has the gentle heart of a mother beating beneath its wings.  Deuteronomy 32:11 shows me the crucial balance between sternness and maternal protectiveness.  Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. Doesn't that sound like the God-given perseverance every mother must have for rearing healthy children?

What I'm saying is this...Stop letting other people define you!  Keeping you stuck in a box of their own making! 2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life  through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  His calling in our lives is to reach our full potential in Him!  But the only way we can break through to these new heights is to:

1. Avoid Negative Self-Talk (Eph. 4:29). Take these three phrases out of your vocabulary: I can't...(I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me. Phil. 4:13).   I don't... have the qualifications; the experience, the boldness, the finances. (And my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus, Phil. 4:19).  I'm not...smart enough, strong enough, attractive enough. (I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me? Jer. 32:27)

2. Affirm Yourself in God's Word. (Create a personal affirmations statement to help you grow in God's grace) Here's an example.  I know I'm Somebody, Cause God Don't make No Junk!

3.  Learn these Lessons from the Eagle,  by John Maxwell's Law of Magnetism  (Prov. 30:18, 19)

--Eagles make things happen (they don't sit around and watch!)

--Eagles see and seize opportunities

--Eagles influence others

--Eagles add value to others

--Eagles possess an uncommonly great attitude

--Eagles have excellent relationship skills

--Eagles have an eagle track record of success

--Eagles think differently

--Eagles continually grow

Pray This Eagle's Prayer

The road is long, there are mountains in the way,

but we climb each step with You every day.

  Lord, lift us up where we belong, where the Eagles cry

on a mountain high!

Lord, lift us up where we belong, far from the world

we know, Up where the clear winds blow.

Amen

(Words adapted from a song written by Buffy Sainte-Marie)

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

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