How to Soar into High Places in God

In Isaiah 40, we are told that we will soar into high places in God by waiting on the Lord. We will mount up with wings like eagles. Eagles are majestic birds with remarkable vision. Scientists believe their vision maybe eight times sharper than that of humans. They have powerful feet with talons that can grip like a vise. Their beaks are butcher-like, designed to cut and crush and tear their food.

But most of all, eagles are built for flying. They have incredible speed, able to fly at sixty and eighty and one hundred miles an hour. They can do rolls and loops like an airplane doing tricks. Their wingspan extends to nearly eight feet. But eagles do not fly like sparrows or robins. Most birds fly through the air by flapping their wings, but eagles cannot flap very long. They’re built for soaring, and thus they can go much further on little energy.

God created our planet with invisible columns of hot air called thermals rising up here and there from the earth’s surface. Eagles find these thermals, fly into the invisible currents, stretch out their wings, and are lifted higher and higher into the sky as though ascending on an elevator. They may rise as high as fourteen thousand feet, so high in the heavens, they can not be seen with the naked eye from earth. When they reach those heights, they emerge from the updraft, wings still spread, and they soar this way and that way, downwards and sidewards, traveling for miles with minimal exertion of strength. Isaiah seems to be telling us that God is invisible, but as the invisible uplifting thermal currents of this planet, he is present for his people. When we search him out, claim his promises, and trust in him, spreading out the wings of faith, we are caught up to a higher plane. We mount up with wings like eagles. We can run and not grow weary. We can walk and not faint. The strength we need for holy, effective, victorious living comes not from frantically flapping our wings like sparrows in distress, but from trusting in God and resting in Jesus Christ.¹ Soaring with Eagles: How to Live in High Places, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

God has placed within you seeds of greatness to help you live in high places. Those seeds are designed to show how great He is, not how great you are. Learn to water those seeds. Be swift like the eagle – swift to repent, swift to forgive, swift to believe, and swift to pray.

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Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: What other eagle traits do you see mirrored in the body of Christ? Would you please share your thoughts in the comments section below?

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About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic, you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com.

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Soaring with Eagles — How to Live in High Places

So, in last week’s podcast, which you can find here, we talked about how God placed clues in nature, in the animal kingdom, clues about you — about what He thinks about you and your potential.
Everything is about point of view — His point of view, to be precise.
We looked at one Eagle characteristic listed in the book of Second Samuel.

2 Samuel 1:23 (KJV) — 23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

Eagles are swift — Swiftness is the ability to move fast.
What are followers of Jesus quick to do?
We looked at quick to repent, quick to forgive, quick to pray, quick to believe, and quick to act on God’s Word.
Let’s pick-up right there and look at one final thing before changing gears and head on up the road.
What else are followers of Jesus quick to do?

How to Live in High Places: Swift to Hear

James 1:19 (KJV) — 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

James, the brother of Jesus, knew something about being as quick as an eagle.
He said that followers of Jesus are swift to hear.
With that comes the opposite — followers of Jesus are slow to speak.
You can’t have it both ways — either you are swift to hear, slow to speak, or you are swift to speak and slow to hear.
There is a disease among humankind unknown to the medical community.
They call it ’foot in mouth’ disease.
You know what that is, don’t you?
‘Foot in mouth’ disease is where you speak before you think.
There is no cure for this disease that can be found in the annals of medical science.
Foot in mouth is a spiritual problem – it comes out of a heart filled with pride.
It’s pride to think that your voice must be heard above others.
This condition is especially prevalent among prodigious talkers.
You will find the following principle to be true in this area of voluminous talkers.

Those that talk a lot sin a lot.

You will find the principle located in several books of the Bible.
Take Proverbs, for example.

Proverbs 10:19 (ESV) — 19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

The book of Ecclesiastes also weighs in on this principle.

Ecclesiastes 5:3 (ESV) — 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

Those that talk a lot, sin a lot.
Prodigious talkers are in the company of fools.

Proverbs 12:13 (ESV) — 13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.

How about another verse from Proverbs?
There is plenty of them on this subject.

Proverbs 18:7 (ESV) — 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 17:28 (ESV) — 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Those that talk a lot, sin a lot.
Even a fool who keeps his mouth shut walks in wisdom.
On the flip-side, wise people, eagle types, those who soar into high places if you would, have learned the value of slow, measured speech.
How many times have you said something too quickly and wished that you had it back?
Man, I sure have.
Eagles who soar to the highest of heights know and believe God’s Word on the subject of speech.
And, not only do they know it — they are swift to act on it.
They have learned right away that being slow to speak is a valuable tool to have in their toolbox.

Ecclesiastes 5:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

The Hebrew word for ‘rash’ – being rash with your mouth means to hurry, rush, or act or move at high speed.
Slow, measured speech is better than moving at high-speed with your mouth.
Eagles know this principle.
If you desire to soar to the highest of high places – let your words be few.
You know some talk a lot because they are nervous — they are afraid — they are insecure.
Eagles are a confident lot.
Others do not threaten them.
Insecurity is not an issue for them.
Since they know God has the last word, they know they don’t always have to.
That’s who you are.
You are God’s eagle, and your environment is the realm of heaven.
You soar boldly to the Throne of grace.
You can’t help it.
The seed of God is in you.
That seed is part of your spiritual DNA — it’s part of the new birth.
I can prove it.

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The fruit of the spirit is love.
Stop right there.
Most translations are incorrect here in that they capitalize the word spirit so that you think that the verse is saying these are fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The ancient Greek language had no capitalization.
If you look at some of the ancient Bible texts discovered by archaeologists, you will see that all the letters are capital.
How would you determine whether the Word should be capitalized for Holy Spirit or left small for human spirit?
The answer is context.
The context determines whether ‘pneuma’ is Holy Spirit or human spirit.
Of course, if you have the designator ‘Holy’ in front of the word ‘spirit,’ then it’s obvious that the text refers to the third member of the God-head.
So, what’s the context of Galatians 5:22?
The context here is fruit.
Think about fruit for a moment.
What’s the nature of fruit?
Fruit grows – it’s the nature of fruit to develop, get larger, and get bigger.
Fruit doesn’t pop out ‘full-grown’ on the branch of a fruit tree.
So, ask yourself now, if it’s the Holy Spirit’s fruit, how can it grow?
The Holy Spirit is God — He doesn’t have fruit — He doesn’t have love, He is love.
That’s the difference.
The fruit of the spirit is love, and God is love.
No, the love nature is on the inside of you.
It’s in your spirit.
Think about it this way.
The Holy Spirit is the source or the trunk, or the roots of the ‘fruit tree.’
You are a branch.
Where does the fruit grow?
Does it grow in the trunk, or does it grow out on the branches?
Well, you know the answer — the fruit is on the branch — it grows and develops from the life of Christ within.
As you feed on God’s Word concerning any of these fruits, and as you put it into operation in your life, fruit will develop.
Let’s take love for an example.

High Places: Love as A Fruit of the Recreated Born Again Human Spirit

How can we increase the fruit of the love of God in our lives — how can we get it to grow?

Romans 5:5 (ESV) — 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

First, the love of God is in you.
You don’t need to pray for more love — you need to develop what you already have.
It’s kind of like working out your body.
You don’t pray and ask the Lord to give you more muscle — you go to the gym and develop what you already have.
Developing the fruit of the love of God works the same way.
As you water what’s already in you by feeding on ‘love scriptures,’ and if you don’t know where they are — there is a scripture list on the website — just go and search for it, and as you use it in the everyday situations of your life — that fruit will begin to grow.
You must make up in your mind to quit living in selfishness — walk in love — walk in God.
Selfish people are low flying.
Self-interested, self-seeking, and self-serving actions only weigh you down – they keep you from flying high.
Love is the source of all increase — it is the motivation for your faith.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (ESV) — 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Act according to your royal roots.
Look at the Son and fly.
Now, you can apply any of this to any of the other fruits of the spirit.
For example, if you want to increase in joy, do the same that you did with love.
That is, know that that seed is already in you, feed on God’s Word concerning joy, and in miserable situations act on joy, and it will increase.
Now, let’s look at eagles and high places.

Soaring with Eagles: Eagles Occupy High Places

Job 39:27–30 (ESV) — 27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? 28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. 29 From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away. 30 His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”

Eagles mount up.
Have you ever hear the saying, “You can soar with the eagles, or you can run with the turkeys?”
A turkey is a low-level bird.
It’s a bird known for its stupidity.
In his heart, the fool has said there is no God — saying and living like there is no God is plain dumb.
You can now ask which bird is the smarter bird — the eagle or the turkey by asking which bird is on the table at Thanksgiving?
That ought to prove it.
Of course, that’s a poor attempt at some humor.
But seriously, the turkey is so void of intelligence; they will look up to the sky in the middle of a rainstorm and drown themselves and die.
Now, how smart is that?
Turkey’s don’t do heights.
Eagles do heights.
Now, turkey’s or eagles – it’s a matter of choice.
You can choose to live life on any level you want to.
You can live the low-level life of a turkey, or you can choose the eagle’s higher life.
Listen to this verse from the Amplified Translation.

Matthew 10:37–39 (AMP) – 37 He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] me is not worthy of Me: and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take up his cross, and follow Me, [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to my example in living and, if need be in dying also] is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life]: and whoever loses his [lower] life on my account will find it [the higher life].

Higher life, lower life, your choice.
Eagle life is spirit life — it’s high life.
Turkey life is fleshly life; it’s life not lived by faith; it’s life not motivated by love — it is low life living.
Do you understand what the Bible states about ‘living after the dictates of the flesh?’

Romans 8:8 (ESV) — 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

They that are in the flesh cannot please God.
So if you want to soar, you must choose not to live after the dictates of your flesh.
People who soar are people who please God.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Without faith, it’s impossible to please God.
Living in faith, trusting God, is living in the heights.
It’s part of living the high life.
The flesh does not have the capacity to live the high life.
Basketball player Alonzo Mourning tells the story about how he decided to buy an Aston Martin.
But two of his friends died from ‘high-speed’ accidents.
Because of their death, Alonzo turned the car back in.
An Aston Martin is meant for speed.
It has all the capacity for speed.
The pedal begs you to push it.
Faith motivated by love is the same way — that lifestyle is built for high-places.
It will take you up.
You know we talked about turkeys and eagles, right?
What about Harley Davidson motorcycles and mopeds.
Harley Davidson’s are built for power.
Mopeds are not.
Everything about a Harley cries out, “Let my throttle loose.”
The Most High God, the Chief Manufacturer, built you to soar.
The Chief Mechanic crafted you to live in high places.
High places are your environment.
Stop living the low life of selfishness.
You know, the devil has a counterfeit for everything that God has.
Satan has ‘high-places.’

1 Kings 14:23–24 (KJV) — 23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

What’s, do the devil’s‘ high places’ consist of?
Idolatry, homosexuality, and abominations.
You don’t want to live that kind of life.
The devil’s high places are not high enough.
They take you nowhere — they take you down, not up.
Some of you have been weighed down far too long because of sin.
Repent and get out of that low lifestyle.
Don’t be like that fine racehorse that’s been hitched to an old garbage truck.
You weren’t meant to pull garbage around.
Garbage pulling is meant for mules.
Mules are slow compared to racehorses.
Stop pulling garbage around.
Some are pulling un-forgiveness around — lay that aside.
Others are pulling sins of the flesh around — lay that aside.
Stop pulling unbelief around.
Quit pulling past abuses around.
They are weight around your neck — they are keeping you from soaring.
Cut that garbage scowl loose and run like you were meant to run.

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) — 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Lay aside every weight — that means you can do it.
The Lord would never instruct you to do something you couldn’t do.
Lay aside the sin that keeps tripping you up.
And run with patience — run unhindered — the race set before you.
What will God do if you choose to lay weights and sins aside?

Isaiah 58:13–14 (ESV) — 13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Listen to it now.
If you quit doing your own thing and do God’s thing, if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly — we talked about eagles and speech and being swift to hear if you do all of this because you delight in the Lord, THEN — in big capitals — God said ‘I will make you ride on the high places of the earth.’
Did you hear this?
If you delight yourself in the Lord, so then riding on the high places is not your doing.
Promotion doesn’t come from the east or the west; it comes from the Lord.

Psalm 75:5–7 (KJV 1900) — 5 Lift not up your horn on high: Speak not with a stiff neck. 6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, Nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.

God said I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth – I will make it happen.
Living in high places isn’t based on your intelligence or lack of it.
It’s based on God and your willingness to obey Him.
Holy Ghost eagle ability is not in your mind.
It’s in your spirit!
You don’t measure a man by his color, intelligence, sex, or social status.
You measure a man by the greatness of his heart.
And the source of that greatness seed — is the Most High God.

2 Samuel 22:34–36 (ESV) — 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.

What kind of war do you fight?
I go to war with my pen — by writing — by speaking what I write, and so I pray Lord, train my pen for war — make my arms to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God.

High Places: The Power of Resurrection Life

Ephesians 1:19–23 (ESV) — 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Did you notice Jesus here in this passage?
Where is He now?
He is in high places – far above — not even close but far above — that means way super high above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named.
Now you may say, ‘Wow — that’s wonderful, Jesus is in high places.’
Why does the Lord want me to know that?
How does that information help me in my everyday life?
To answer that, you must keep reading in Ephesians — go to chapter two.

Ephesians 2:4–6 (ESV) — 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

This is part of the gospel of the Kingdom.
God lifted Jesus and set Him on High on His right hand, far above all but, that’s not all the Father God did — He didn’t stop there with Jesus.
The glorious truth is that when He lifted Jesus up. He also lifted you up with Him!
Listen to it — He raised you up with him and seated you with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Your job is to take your position.
Stop hanging with turkeys — quit driving your Moped.
Step up and take a seat.
Check the view out from the heights of Jesus Throne.
Look down on your problems.
Devils and demons and all the stuff they cause look way smaller when you are looking down from on high.
Living the high life is a choice.
You can choose to rule and reign with Jesus from His position of authority.
That seed is in you.
The invitation is open.
Step up to high places and take a seat.

What is the Secret to Overcoming Insecurity?

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References:

Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), 714–715. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

How to Soar into High Places in God

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eight Episode Two

by Emery Horvath

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