“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”¹

An eagle egg was accidentally knocked out of its nest during a windstorm. It tumbled down to the ground, landing softly on a bed of pine straw. Nearby was a turkey nest, and when the mama turkey saw the egg, she assumed that one of hers had been misplaced, and simply rolled it over into her nest. A few weeks later, the eggs hatched, and the chicks were born – all within a couple of days of each other. The mother didn’t really notice any difference in the chicks – she was just happy to have eight new babies. You can see where this story is going - this eagle grew up with a bunch of turkeys.

Even though it was created and born an eagle, it grew up with a turkey identity. It learned the art of foraging on the ground and climbing shrubs or small trees to feed. It lived on a diet of acorns, nuts, roots, and bugs. Rather than spreading its wings and soaring in the air, this eagle with a turkey identity spent its time on the ground. When a predator would come, rather than taking off in flight – or using his war-crafted talons to fight – this eagle would do what the other turkeys were doing – it would scurry off along the ground in fear.

This eaglet, created to be powerful and majestic, had no way of knowing its full potential, until one day, this little eagle heard a sound it had never heard before. From way up in the sky, it heard the sound of an eagle call. As it looked up at the big, blue sky, the little eagle wondered at its grandeur as he saw a beautiful bird soar above, and in that moment, something began to stir in him. He had been living on the ground in fear of other creatures, but suddenly his heart swelled with love for what he saw, and he felt powerful knowing he should be gracing the skies as well.

We may live in fear of things that are greater than us, but God wills for us to claim His power and become great for His glory! Look up and see what great things God has stored for you today. Claim the name of Jesus and overcome those unknown fears that may be keeping you on the ground. Today is the day to soar!

Suggested Prayer: Dear God, sometimes I find myself feeling trapped; following the crowd and conforming to the world around me. Today I look up and claim your Spirit of power to have the courage to step out of my comfort zone and be what you created me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen

1.    2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.

All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.