Christians like golden eagles go through low periods in their lives. It would do us good to learn from the golden eagle what happen during their low periods called molting period. At this time, usually in midlife, the eagle finds a lonely place in a valley and stay there alone with its head down. It is unable to shed tears because its tear ducts have stopped producing tears. Its feathers fall out. It stops searching for food because its talons (feet) become fragile from constant efforts to find insects in the ground to eat. The eagle loses it weight, motivation, the ability to fight, and to soar. It is at the lowest ebb in life. Without help at this stage from other eagles, it is hopeless; death is imminent. At this point, other concern eagles, especially those that have been through similar experiences, fly over this molting eagle, making sounds to alert it that they are there to help. They help the molting eagle by dropping food close by so it may eat and be strengthened and prepare to soar again when it is renewed.

Here are some lessons to learn: in our low periods we should look beyond ourselves for help. First from God and second from others. If we fail to seek and receive help from God and others we will not rise again. Another lesson to be learned is this: we should help others in their times of needs. The Apostle Paul says, " Carry each other's burden and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1 - 2 ) NIV The law of Christ is love. 

For us to experience renewal in our low periods we must trust in God " Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:5  (NIV)  Also remember God's promise in Isaiah 40:31 "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (NIV)

MAY YOU LIFT YOUR FAITH AND RISE AGAIN!!

Sincere prayer is one of the most important things in life. Prayer is commnuication with God. It is a "Sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of our soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised," says John Bunyan. Trench adds, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness."  

All these thoughts imply that God is a personal loving being that cares for us and loves to be in communication with us. Without communication with God we will be out of fellowship with Him and we will not access all the blessed things He has promised us. This means that when we do not pray we are hurting ourself by depriving ourself of the greatest possible relationship and source of blessings: such as spiritual power, provision for our daily needs, health, and other needs. Prayer is absolutely important also, as Martin Luther says, "Prayer is a powerful thing; for God has bound and tied Himself thereunto." In light of this, Paul comands us in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 17, to "Pray without ceasing." (KJV)

However, for prayer to be effective it must be done in faith or else God will not hear us. As Hebrews chapter 11 and verse  6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."  

Therefore, let us realise as Augustine says, "He that loveth little prayeth little; he that loveth much prayeth much." So you show how much you love God by how much time you give to Him in sincere prayer.

SHOW HIM HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HIM!!

The majority of mankind throughout history have been thoroughly beaten by the devil day and night. This has been so because God's way to defeat the devil has not been followed by the majority. 

Here are three (3) ways to beat the devil that are stated in the bible. The first step is to surrender to God, James 4:7. When one surrenders to God they are in the position to take the next step, which is to be armed by God for war against the devil. Ephesians 6:10 - 18 tells us how to be armed. It tells us to be armed with the truth of God, righteousness in our hearts, living according to the gospel, exercising faith at all times, living in hope according to God's promises, confessing God's word in the power of the Holy Spirit and praying constantly through the Holy Spirit.  When one has surrendered to God and armed for war, the third step is to fight the devil and his agents through the weapons that have been stated in Ephesians 6:10 - 18.

The result of fighting will be; the devil will flee, according to James 4:7. Therefore, put the devil to flight. 

Romans 8:28 tells us, that God works everything for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Sometimes this seems hard to grasp. It does not seem to make sense in the light of what is happening to us and others in life. 

The life of Joseph as recorded in Genesis 37 - 50 did not seem to make sense at the beginning. His brothers were jealous of him because of his father's love for him and the dreams that God gave him concerning his future leadership of them. As a result they set out to destroy him.

First they put him into a pit with the intent to kill him. Then they changed their minds and sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt and was resold. God promoted him to become manager of his slave master's estate. His master's wife wanted to have an affair with him, but because of his love and commitment to God he refused and was lied on. As a result he was sentenced to prison falsely for attempting to rape her. God was with him and promoted him to be a superviser in prison. He used his gift of interpriting dreams to interprit the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants that were in prison. Two years after that he was taken from prison to interprit Pharaoh's dreams. Pharaoh was so inpressed by his wisdom that he promoted him to be governor of Egypt.

Subsequently, there was a famine in the region and Joseph's position made him the savior of his father's household, the Jewish nation, through which Christ came. If Joseph was not in Egypt at the time probably his father's household would have starved to death. But God stragetically used all the evils done to Joseph to trained him and put him in a position of power to save His chosen people through which Christ came to save the world.

Truely, God works all things together for good to them that love Him. As you have seen, Joseph's love for God was demonstrated throughout his sufferings and God worked all things together for good for him.

Every human being is dependent on someone or something. When people are sick they depend on doctors and medications to help them. When we are hungry and thirsty we depend on food and water to satisfy them. If we want to travel to another country we depend on transportations to take us there. But behind all of these is an ultimate source. God is the source of everything we have and will ever have. 

The Apostle Paul tells us that Christ is the one who enables us to do all things. Christ is both the source and the means in everything in life that we need. He is the creator and the sustainer of all things. And He is the same yesterday, today and forever; so He changes not. How can we access what we need from Him? The bible says, it is through faith in God. The ones who have faith in God are discribed as the righteous. 

If we are going to make it in life in any area we must focus on Christ at all times. Like Peter, walking on the water, the moment we fail to trust in Jesus we begin to sink under the problems of life. But the moment we call on Jesus He rescues us. Let us believe and say like the Apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 (KJV).

Goethe says, "Tell me with whom thou art found, and I will tell thee who thou art." In like manner it is said, "Birds of a feather flock together." The company we choose are very revealing; it shows who we are in character whether good or bad. The bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:23, "Do not be misled: bad  company corrupts good character."

Evil friends and companies will influence one to become evil, consciously or sub-consciously. Righteous friends and companies will also influence one to become like them. If we want to be wise, full of faith, hope and love we must choose friends and companies with these characteristics. They influence us greatly to become like them.

Therefore, we should make God and Godly people our friends and we will become like them in thoughts, words and deeds. If your friends and companies are evil, give them up and choose righteous and Godly friends. DO IT WITHOUT DELAY!!

Putting God first is the most important thing that one should do. It will bring the most glory to God, which He requires. In fact God created all things for His glory. Yet God does not need glory because He is totally selfsufficient and lacks nothing. Since God lacks nothing, why does God want us to glorify Him? It is for our own good and the good of the world. Like one who throws a ball on a wall and it bounces back to him, so it is with glorifying God. Glorifying God has possitive boomerang effects on the one who glorifies Him. 

Many person wrongfully think, consciously or subconsciously, that when they give or surrender to God they are losing. So they are detered from committing themselves to God. But let me tell you, they are DEAD WRONG. The bible says, he that lose himself by surrendering to Christ will find himself. So by losing one's self he gains and by refusing to surrender one's self to God he loses.

God's perfect plan for us is to have life to the full, but the devils plan is to rob us of it, kill and destroy us, John 10:10. How can we prevent the devil from doing this and experience the full life that God has for us? Jesus answers the question: He says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." All these things includes everything that will cause you to experience the life that Christ has for us in full. Therefore, PUT GOD FIRST.

To achieve success in anything in life requires perseverance. As the saying goes, "The race is not for the swift nor the battle for the strong, but for those who endure to the end."

Many have started out with great vigor and expectations for success but never continue, because they were not willing to do what was required until success came. It would be good to listen to the words of Bayard Taylor who said, "Those who would attain to any marked degree of excellence in a chosen pursuit must work, and work hard for it, prince or peasant." 

My encouragement to you is to find out what God wants you to do always and work at it through the power of God until it is accomplished.

The bible declares that God is absolutely good in nature, thoughts, words, and deeds. Everything He created was good and all things together were very good. So how did evil come into being? The bible tells us that God created angels and man with wills to choose and some angels and man chose to disobey Him and cause evil to come into being.

Even the French Philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau admits that "Everthing is good when it leaves the creator's hands; everything degenerates in the hands of man." 

The only way to clean up the evils of the world is through the redemption that comes through Christ as a result of His dying on a cross to pay for man's sins. Those who put their faith in what Christ did for them are forgiven of their sins and are made righteous by God. When Christ returns the second time He will eleminate from the world all those who refused to repent and become righteous and all those who repented and became righteous He will make perfect. He will make the entire world righteous again. 

If you want to be apart of that righteous world forever, you must repent in this world and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. DO IT NOW, IF YOU HAVE NOT!!!

The restoration of God's plan for sinful man is God's great purpose for each of us. If we fail to make use of God's provision for this, then we choose to exclude ourselves from participating in it forever. 

Romans 8:29, tells us that Jesus came to restore man to God's original purpose that is stated in Genesis 1:26 - 28, but restoration has been thwarted in the majority of mankind from Genesis 3 until now. The purpose of God is to restore man to image of Christ. This is the ultimate predestined purpose of the birth , life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit is to put into effect, in the lives of Christians, the benefits of the finished work of Christ that He accomplished for them. The Holy Spirit Helps Christians to duplicate on earth the priestly and kingly ministries that Christ has been executing at the Father's right hand in heaven. This will continue until the second coming of Christ to established on earth His everlasting kingdom.

LET GOD CONTINUE TO RESTORE THE IMAGE OF CHRIST IN YOU!!