Identifying the Eagle

Identifying the Eagle

We have had the most welcome visitors this summer. Huge raptors have been spending the summer in our valley. I love raptors. They are majestic birds with incredible characteristics. They swoop upward in front of our large picture windows and then perch on our roof, displaying unashamedly their size and tenacity. But identifying just exactly who these magnificent visitors were was difficult.

Over and over I searched the web for the colors, the call, and the size of our visitors. Finally, it became clear that these impressive beauties were indeed juvenile bald eagles.

Bald eagles don’t get their white head and tail until their fourth year. Each year they develop more and more into what we think of when we think of the bald eagle. They also don’t sound like the bald eagles on TV and in movies. Produces splice in the red tail hawk’s call, because it is so regal. I was expecting the eagle to sound like the hawk. (Listen to the eagle's call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RArGl2vkGI&feature=youtu.be).  (Listen to the red tailed hawk's call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBxLXyleyQ&feature=youtu.be). 

When we have a presupposition it easily, and ususally does, cloud our ability to see clearly. How often do we misjudge people, because we are expecting them to have a white head and tail? People grow into their gifts. And yet, I know so many people who have thrown out the prophetic either completely or have become super-critical of those who are at least trying to grow into who they are, immature as they may be.

Do we give others room to grow in their gifts? Why are we so critical of immaturity, especially of prophetic people?

Some Christians say that prophetic people must be 100% accurate or they are a false prophet. That is the Old Covenant’s paradigm. Prophets prophesied in the OT, however in the NT everyone can prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). Nowhere in the New Testament does God say that prophetic people must be 100% accurate. In fact it affirms the opposite.

1 Corinthians 13 states:

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

1 Corinthians 13:9-11

Just because I had a hard time identifying the eagle didn’t change the fact that it was an eagle. It was an eagle if it was an eagle, whether or not I could tell that it was one or not. Its voice sounded like an eagle (though I didn't realize it), it behaved like an eagle, and it looked like an eagle—an immature one. In time, it will get it's stately white head and tail and look like a mature bald eagle.

When a prophetic person is immature they will make mistakes. Even mature prophetic people make mistakes. Will we give prophetic people time to grow? Will we help them mature or will we point the finger while stomping on them? Will we, in rebellion against Scripture, despise prophecy? Why do you think God put that in the Bible? Likely because it is natural (carnal, fleshy) to despise prophecy. Oh, but we sound so discerning... 

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:16 to recognize no one according to the flesh. How easy it is to live carnally. How easy it is to judge according to what we see and what we think in our so called wisdom. Of Jesus, Isaiah said that He would not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears. We sincerely need to see people as God does: with the eyes of His Spirit. 

Are you the kind of person that will break a bruised reed or put out a smoking flax? Jesus isn't. No, Jesus, while Simon was still a reed, changed his name to Rock. And later,when Peter's failure was eminent, He didn't build a case against Peter. Instead, Jesus told Peter when he returned to strengthen his brothers. Jesus saw beyond the obvious failures and immaturity into the destiny of the person. In order to help people, prophetic or not, we must become more like Jesus. We must be spiritual. We must see others through the lens of the Spirit. 

You make mistakes.

I make mistakes.

Only One never made a mistake and neither you nor I am Him.

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