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Traits of the Eagle and How It Pertains To Our Christian Walk

As I have stated in my article, “God is the Potter, We are the Clay,” whenever God gives you a specific analogy in the Bible, what He wants you to do is to seek into what the analogy is all about so you can fully understand what He is trying to convey to you.

In the verse that God is the potter and we are the clay, what you have to do is find out exactly how pottery is made before you can see the correlation between how the potter forms and molds out the clay into the piece of pottery he is looking to make, and how God wants to mold, shape, and transform us in this life as we continue to grow in His knowledge, grace, and power.

Traits of the Eagle and How It Pertains To Our Christian Walk

The Eagle Analogy And Our Christian Walk

Another very powerful analogy that the Lord has hidden back in His Word in the Old Testament is what I call the eagle analogy. Here is the verse where this specific analogy is being given to us by the Lord:

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

The two key words in this verse are that we will mount up with wings “like eagles.” The Original King James Version uses the words “as eagles.”

I believe God is trying to tell us something when He compares all of us to eagles in this particular verse. I remember when I first saw this verse years ago, it really jumped off the page at me.

Several years ago, I did a study of eagles and their personality traits to see if there were any personality traits that were inherent in the eagle that God wanted us to have with Him.

After finding out exactly what personality traits eagles do have, I came to the conclusion that God was definitely trying to convey some additional knowledge to all of us as to what additional qualities He would like all of us to have worked into our personalities.

The other thing I noticed, starting about 10-15 years ago, is that there were a lot of eagle pictures and eagle statues in many of the Christian bookstores, with all of them coming off the above verse.

Again, I believe God is trying to draw all of us into this specific verse so we can find out exactly what He is trying to tell us with the revelation that is contained in it.

I believe this analogy to be an extremely powerful and profound analogy, and that it fully applies to each and every Christian.

I will list, one by one, the main qualities and traits of the eagle, along with giving you the basic gist of what this analogy is all about.

1. The Basic Gist of The Eagle Analogy

The first thing you need to know about eagles so you can fully understand what the basic gist of this analogy is all about is exactly how they are able to fly, with most of it being on how they are able to soar without actually flapping their wings.

I am sure most of you have seen videos and documentaries of eagles being caught on video soaring high up in the sky without actually flapping their wings.

Their wings are spread straight out and they are literally soaring with perfect ease on the wind currents.

Eagles are born with big and heavy wings, and part of the survival mechanism they are born with is that they have to learn how to fly without actually flapping their big wings.

They have to learn how to do this in order to conserve energy. Eagles can literally die if they expend too much energy flapping their wings during flight as versus soaring without flapping their wings.

As a result, what eagles have to learn to do very early on in order to be able to soar without flapping their wings, is to wait for what are called wind thermals to come up on them. A wind thermal is a big gust of wind that will rise up from the atmosphere.

Sometimes eagles will remain perched for days before they can catch a good, strong, wind thermal, where they can then launch onto it and combine a mixture of flying and soaring on that strong wind thermal to get them to where they want to go.

Now here is the basic gist of this whole analogy. Lock this into your memory banks, as God is giving us a very powerful analogy on how eagles basically fly and soar on these wind thermals.

  • We are the eagle
  • The wings of the eagles represent our faith and belief in God
  • The wind thermals the eagles fly on represent the Holy Spirit

Another very powerful verse to add to this analogy is the following:

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6)

What God is trying to tell us in this verse is that all things will get fully accomplished for Him in this life by the power of the Holy Spirit operating through us, not by our own power or by our own might.

Just like the eagle has to learn how to fly on the wind thermals – we, as born-again, Spirit-filled Christians, have to learn how to fly on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In other words, we have to learn how to walk and fly with the anointing of God.

The anointing of God is the power of the Holy Spirit flowing and operating through us to accomplish what God wants us to do for Him in this life.

It is God’s power flowing and operating through us, not our own power. Our power is weak and limited, but God’s power is pure and absolute.

We have to learn two basic things if we want to successfully complete all of the divine missions that God has in store for us in this life:

  • How to be led by the Holy Spirit
  • And how to walk with His anointing operating through us so we can fully accomplish all of our divine destiny for the Lord

If you do not learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit in your daily life, then you will never find out exactly what God is going to call you to do for Him in this life.

You will never find out who your true soulmate is going to be in this life, and you will never fulfill the divine destiny to which God has called you.

Just like the eagle has to learn how to catch the wind thermal in order to survive in this world, we have to learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis so we can fully accomplish everything God that will want us to accomplish for Him in this life.

And just like the eagle has to learn how to ride and navigate on those wind thermals once they actually launch onto them, we have to learn how to walk with the power of the Holy Spirit operating through us so we can fully accomplish the tasks and assignments that God will be calling us to do for Him in this life.

If we learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit so we can get to where God will want to take us to – but we do not learn how to actually walk and flow with His actual power, then we will never succeed at the specific tasks that He will be calling us to do for Him.

If God calls someone to be a great evangelist and then leads him to the exact spots where He will want him to work at, but that person does not learn how to flow and walk with God’s anointing on him, then he will have minimal success at best in that specific calling.

Again, not by our might or by our power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit operating through us is how we will produce good fruit for the Lord in this life.

The third thing we must catch on this analogy besides the fact that we are the eagle and the wind thermals represents the Holy Spirit, is what the wings of the eagle represent

The wings of the eagle represent our faith and belief in in the Lord.

Bottom line – if we do not have enough faith and belief in God to take flight on the Holy Spirit in order to be led and empowered by Him for service to the Lord, then nothing will ever happen.

We will forever stay perched, and we will never fulfill the divine destiny that God has already planned out for our lives before we were even born into our mother’s womb.

The eagle has to take that big leap off the edge of the cliff in order to be able to fly and soar on those wind thermals.

If the eagle does not take flight on those wind thermals when they do come up on him, he will forever stay perched and he will die on the cliff due to starvation.

In the same way, if we do not take flight on the Holy Spirit and the divine call that God has placed on our lives, our lives will perish right before our very eyes, as the Bible tells us that God’s people will perish without having His specific vision for their lives.

Sooner or later, every single Christian will have to make that big choice for their lives. Who will they decide to serve and follow in this life?

Do they follow and serve their own self and their own self-interests, doing what they want to do with their lives. Or do they decide to fully surrender every part of their life over to the Lord and go with His divine plan for their lives rather than their own.

If you decide to follow and serve the Lord in his life, then sooner or later God will call you and you will then have to take that big leap off the edge of the cliff in order to learn how to fly into the calling that He has placed on your life.

And just as the wings of the eagle are the only thing that will allow them to fly and soar on those wind thermals, in the same way the only thing that will allow you to fly on the call that God has placed on your life is your faith and belief in the Lord.

If you do not have enough faith, belief, and confidence in the Lord and His Holy Spirit to guide you and empower you for this call, then nothing will ever happen.

I wonder how many Christians have missed out on their true callings from the Lord because they did not have enough faith and belief in Him to take flight on the Holy Spirit like the eagles have learned how to do on those wind thermals?

Bottom line – we are the eagle, our wings are our faith and belief in the Lord, and the wind thermals are the presence and power of the Holy Spirit flowing and operating through us so we can fully accomplish all of our our divine destiny for the Lord.

2. Eagles Are Master Fliers

As a result of being able to learn how to fly on those strong wind thermals, eagles are considered master fliers. They can fly to heights that no other bird can. They have been seen flying as high as some of our airplanes fly.

If eagles have to be careful not to expend too much energy in flapping their wings because of their size and weight, then how can they fly as high as some our modern day airplanes? The answer is in their ability and skill to ride and fly on these strong wind thermals.

This is why you see eagles literally soaring at times on these wind thermals, with their wings being spread straight out and no flapping being done.

In the same way, we as Christians can learn how to be master fliers by learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

Just like eagles depend on these strong wind thermals to take them to heights that no other bird can fly to – in the same way we can be taken to heights that we may have never dreamed possible if we will just learn how to be led be the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

Just think how much more good fruit we could produce, and how much more we could accomplish for the Lord in this lifetime if we could all learn how to be really led by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, and how to really walk with His power and anointing flowing through us.

Again, this is something that can be learned if you are open and willing to be taught by the Lord on how to do this on a daily basis.

It is the job of the Holy Spirit Himself to teach you how to be personally led and empowered by Him so you can fully accomplish everything that the Lord has set out for you to do for Him in this life.

3. Eagles Are Master Fisherman

Eagles are also considered master fisherman. They are very good in locking in on their prey and then swooping down to catch them.

How many times have you seen videos where an eagle will swoop down on a body of water and pick up a fish swimming near the surface with perfect ease and accuracy, and catching them on the very first attempt. They are absolute masters at hunting down and catching their prey, whether that prey be on land or in the water.

Just as eagles are considered to be master fisherman with how they can catch fish in water – we, as Christians, have been called by the Lord to be “fishers of men,” just like Jesus and the apostles were at the very beginning of the New Testament.

Our number one job in this life is to try and get as many people saved as we possibly can.

Personal evangelism within our own circle of influence is something that each and every Christian can do for the Lord, and it is something that we should always keep our radars up for – as you never know when the Holy Spirit will move on you to lead you to someone He will want you to witness to, whether it be someone you might know or a complete total stranger.

4. Eagles Fly Alone

Though eagles will mate for life, for the most part you will always see them flying alone in the skies.

As Christians, we are all part of the body of Christ, where the little finger is just as important as the big toe.

However, the Bible also tells us that many are called but few are chosen. I believe this verse is referring to our calls in the Lord, not to our personal salvation in Him.

What this verse is telling us is that many of the people God is calling are not being chosen for various reasons.

What this means is that at times you may feel totally alone, depending on the type of calling that God has placed on your life and exactly where you are at in the development of that calling.

David was alone when he took on Goliath. No one else would step on the battlefield with him when he took on that evil blasphemous giant.

Peter was alone when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water, as the Bible says that the rest of the apostles were too scared to try and do it on their own. Moses was all by himself for 40 years in the backside of the desert before God called him out to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.

David was hiding out in caves from Saul for quite a number of years before he was finally called out to become the greatest king of Israel.

At times, you may feel totally isolated and alone at the spot where God may have you at.

When you are in these kinds of dry times and seasons with the Lord, just keep pressing forward and flying alone like the eagle does – and sooner or later God will bring you forth into the heart of your call where everyone will then see you and work with you on the call that God has placed on your life.

5. Eagles Live on Higher Ground

For the most part, eagles will always be found living on some type of higher ground. As Christians, we are already living on higher ground as compared to the rest of the world as a result of who we are in Christ.

We are now born-again children of the Most High God. We are now kings and priests of the Lord. We now have the Holy Spirit, along His power and knowledge residing on the inside of us to help lead us, sanctify us, and empower us so we can all be used by the Lord in a mighty way for ministry.

This is why the Lord is calling all of us to stay in the world, but not to be an actual part of the world.

In other words, we are to be in the world, but not of the world. We are to keep ourselves separate from the corruption, pollution, vices, and sins of this world so God can keep us on His straight and narrow road for the rest of our earthly lives.

We live on this higher ground as a result of our position in Jesus. And we always need to keep reminding ourselves that we are living on this higher ground, as the world will always do everything it can to try and drag us down into their lower way of living.

6. Eagles Are Extremely Bold, Courageous, and Powerful

Another very powerful trait of the eagle is that they are very bold, courageous, and powerful. Eagles have literally been seen engaging with poisonous snakes and tearing their heads off with their beak.

They have been seen going right through major storm clouds, where most birds will fly away and hide in safety until the storm has passed.

As we have stated numerous times in some of the articles in our spiritual warfare section, God is calling all of us to become good and mighty soldiers of Jesus Christ.

He is asking all of us to put on His armor and to engage with demons and to cast them out of people when necessary.

Just like the eagle has no fear of any man, beast, or snake – in the same way we should have no fear of any demonic spirit or any evil human being since we all have God Himself totally on our side.

The Bible tells us that greater is He that is in us than he who is in the world. David perfectly proved that point when he took out Goliath with one perfectly, well-placed blow.

In the Spiritual Warfare Section of our site, we have an article titled, “Battle Verses of the Bible.”

In this article are 100 of the very best battle verses in the Bible. These major battle verses will show you that God the Father does have a war side to His personality, and that He will not hesitate to go into battle to protect you and your close loved ones if you have been walking close with Him over the years.

Bottom line – take your cue from the eagle.

Just like the eagle is the most powerful and feared bird in the sky – in the same way God the Father can personally raise you up to be a mighty and courageous soldier for Him so you can do great and mighty exploits in the calling that He has personally placed on your life.

7. Eagles Are Considered Majestic

Due to the way eagles look and act, many people consider them almost majestic and invincible. They seem to have a look of royalty about them.

In the same way, we, as Christians, have this same air of royalty about us since we are now considered kings and priests of the Lord due to the sacrifice that Jesus has personally made for all of us with His death on the cross.

This majestic royalty that we now have operating through us all comes direct from Jesus. It does not come directly from us, or any of the good works that we may have done to-date for the Lord. It all comes to us as a direct result of Jesus dying on the cross for all of our sins.

Only the blood that Jesus has personally shed for each one of us on the cross is what makes us kings and priests before Him, lest we all get puffed up with our own pride and arrogance, thinking this was all of our own doing and making.

8. Eagles Are Faithful For Life

Once eagles mate with their partners, they will stay true and loyal to that other eagle for life. In the same way, once God leads us to the mate that He will want us to marry in this life, He will expect us to stay true, loyal, and faithful to that mate literally to the day we die.

In this day and age, where 50% of all marriages are still failing and ending up in divorce, this is a tall order for many to stay faithful to their spouses.

We have another article in our site titled, “The Sin of Adultery” in the Current Issues section of our site.

In this article are some very heavy verses, all showing how much God hates adultery and what the ramifications may be for some of those who do not pull out of this serious sin within a reasonable length of time.

God expects all of us to honor our vows and commitments made at the wedding altar. God takes marriage and the vows that come with it very, very seriously, and it is nothing to be trifled with or taken for granted once you hit a few minor speed bumps in the marriage.

The Holy Spirit is the Helper and Counselor, and He can help heal any hurts or misgivings that may have occurred in the marriage if you will just learn how to open yourself up to Him and allow Him to work in whatever state your marriage may be in.

9. Eagles Are Very Patient

Another very interesting quality that eagles have is that they are very patient. Documentary film crews have filmed eagles spotting rabbits they will target as prey.

Once the rabbit senses the danger, he will then go hiding in a hole, sometimes for as long as an hour or two before he finally comes back out.

The eagle will then wait for that hour or two until the rabbit finally comes back out again. And once he does, the eagle will then swoop down and catch him within seconds. As a result of his patience, the eagle will then be rewarded with a big fat meal.

In the same way, we all need the patience of the eagle, especially in the type of world we now live in with everything being done at breakneck speed and people’s fuses being shortened as a result of all of the high stress that we are forced to live under.

This is why one of the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of patience, as we all need His patience operating through us so we can weather the storm clouds of this turbulent life.

10. The Eagle Has 2 Sets of Eyes

Another very fascinating quality that eagles have is that they have two sets of eyes. The first set is their natural eye which they have when they are in a resting mode.

However, when they start to take flight on these strong wind thermals, they have a second eye that comes in on them. This second eye then enables them to fly on these strong wind thermals without damaging their original eye.

This second eye is also used when they are seen flying through actual storm clouds. The heavy winds from a storm cloud could easily damage their normal natural eye, and this second eye gives them a protective covering as they are navigating through these heavy storm clouds.

As Christians, we also have two sets of eyes operating in us. The first set is our normal natural eye which we use to see the natural world in which we live in. However, we also have a second set of eyes and that is the eyes of the Holy Spirit.

Since we all have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us, we also have His eyes available to us at times to see things from His perspective.

As you start to draw closer to the Lord in your own personal relationship with Him, there will be times that He will allow you to “see” things as He sees them. You will start “seeing” what certain Scripture verses may mean. You will start to “see” what the real truth is in many of the matters of your own personal life.

When this starts to occur, this is the Holy Spirit Himself allowing you to see things through His eyes, not your eye. This is highly supernatural event when it starts to occur.

It is God Himself literally allowing you to see things from His point of view and perspective.

The Bible says that the truth will set you free. But you first have to see what that truth is before it can start to set you free.

This is why we all need the eyes of the Holy Spirit operating in us, so we can start to see what the real truth is on many of the different matters and issues in our own personal lives.

Just like the eagle needs his two sets of eyes in order to be able to live and survive in this world, in the same way we need both our natural eyes and the eyes of the Holy Spirit operating in us so we can properly work and function for the Lord in this life.

11. The Nests of Eagles Are Built in the Wilderness

When baby eagles are first born, the mother eagle will build the nest in which to raise up her newborns in the wilderness, away from mainstream society. This is done so she can safely raise them up without any type of harm coming to them.

In the same way, the Lord will sometimes build up His eagles in a wilderness type setting. Again, Moses was in the backside of the desert for 40 years before God called him out to complete the greatest deliverance mission of all time.

David was in the caves of the wilderness for a number of years, possibly for 13-15 years, before he was called out by God to become the greatest king that Israel has ever had.

Some of you who are reading this right now may be in your wilderness setting with the Lord, where He is slowly raising you up in your calling for Him.

It is sometimes in these wilderness type settings that your greatest strides in spiritual growth are actually made in Him.

12. Eagles Have Contrasting Color Patterns – Noticeable From a Distance

Many of the creatures God has created have color patterns that blend in with their natural surroundings so as to protect them from other predators.

However, not so with the eagle. The American bald eagle has dark brown skin with a white colored head. As a result of this contrasting color pattern, they can easily be seen from quite a distance.

I know this may be stretching this analogy a bit, but I believe that the dark skin of the eagle lines up with our flesh colored skins, and the white color on the head and face of the eagle line up with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit living in us. In other words, it is symbolic of the anointing that we have operating in us through the Holy Spirit.

People who walk with a very strong anointing from the Lord are very noticeable from a distance. You can “see” the anointing of God all over them. You can “see” the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a transparent glow radiating out of their faces.

These people have developed very strong personal relationships with the Lord over a number of years and they are walking very close with Him in working out their own personal calls for Him in this life.

Just like the eagle stands out in his environment as a result of his might, prowess, and contrasting color pattern in the animal kingdom – in the same way, highly anointed Christians also stand out in their surroundings due to the presence and power of God Almighty Himself radiating out of them.

Jesus Himself has told us in His Word that He is our light, and that once we have His light shining through us, that we are not to try and hide it underneath the table.

We are to let His light shine through us so we can reach the rest of the world with His message of eternal salvation.

Conclusion

Once you isolate all of the main qualities of the eagle, I do not think it is a coincidence that they all perfectly line up with what God would like to have worked into each one of us. I believe when God says in the above verse from Isaiah that we will mount up with wings like eagles, He is meaning exactly what He is saying in this verse.

Once again, here are the main attributes and qualities of the mighty eagle, the most powerful and feared bird in the skies:

  • Master fliers
  • Master fishermen
  • Fly alone
  • Live on higher ground
  • Extremely bold, courageous, and powerful
  • Majestic
  • Mate for life
  • Very patient
  • Have two sets of eyes
  • Nest are built in the wilderness
  • Noticeable from a distance as a result of contrasting color patterns

I believe the Lord is in the process of raising up an army of mighty eagles. I believe we are living in the last days as prophesied in the Bible, and God will be launching this army of eagles onto the earth in an effort to get as many people saved and on that rapture train as He possibly can before the end finally comes.

Some of you who are reading this article right now might be one these eagles being raised up by the Lord.

If you are, study this eagle analogy very carefully, as I believe the Lord is giving all of us a very powerful and profound analogy.

Roneisha

Tuesday 27th of February 2024

This is a great analogy. When God spoke to me and told me to soar like an eagle, I looked up articles about eagles and I came across this. It really blessed me. Thank you for your obedience.

Jailos phiri

Saturday 21st of October 2023

This is a very nice translation & interpretation on traits of the eagle and how it pertains to our Christian walk.

Esther

Friday 12th of May 2023

Thank you for this life value added article...God bless you now and always

Elizabeth

Tuesday 21st of February 2023

Very inspiring message indeed that has blessed me as I read each attribute and qualities of the mighty eagle. The message is well expounded and its my prayer that the Lord through his Holy Spirit will help me mount up with wings as eagles! Blessings upon blessings to you.

Patience Abla Adika Kalevor

Monday 23rd of January 2023

Powerful analogy of the eagle. I have learnt a lot going through all the 12 points. I will share with my colleague women in the ministry and children service teachers. God richly bless you.