The kite, the falcon and the buzzard
How can we overcome sin and live a victorious life?
Sometimes we can learn lessons from the natural world. Last year I made an observation from nature which made me think about my spiritual walk with the Lord. It was a warm summer’s day and I was sitting in the wild scrubby grass of a hilltop. A sudden movement startled me. A large bird of prey flew up out of the grass just a few feet away from me. It flapped its mighty wings once, twice, then soared effortlessly – round and round, upwards on the warm air current.
It was a Red Kite. I could tell from the white patterns along its mainly rusty brown and black underside and the inverted ‘v’ shape tail. I was struck by the ease with which, in just a few minutes, it had ascended hundreds of feet above my head. It became just a tiny dot in the sky. Eventually I lost sight of it as it ascended too near the sun for me to look any longer.
A few days later the air was cooler. I went out walking again. A jeep had parked by the track near to where I’d seen the Red Kite. As I walked by, I became aware of a lady standing at the back door of the jeep, her right arm outstretched. Perched on her gloved hand was a large grey Falcon. It looked stately, about a foot tall, its grey back and wings standing out against the white of its chest. Its yellow clawed feet and yellow hooked bill distinguished it as a Peregrine Falcon.
As I walked on, I noticed a man standing on the brow of the next little hill, where I’d seen the Red Kite. The man swung a cord in a circular motion with bait to lure the bird, and the Falcon suddenly flew towards it, swooping low just a few feet to my left. He teased the Falcon with the bait, and the bird swooped towards it again and again, backwards and forwards.
It looked as though the man was gradually drawing the string in. I don’t know how it happened but after five or six swoops and circuits, the Falcon eventually landed and perched upon the man’s hand. I turned right onto another track, and after a few minutes the jeep drove by. I could see the couple in the front of the jeep. The Falcon appeared to be perched in the centre of the rear part of the vehicle in a position where it could see out of the windows.
Just a few days later, I saw another large bird of prey. I was walking across the nearby football pitch when a dark brown buzzard swooped right in front of me, gently flapping its huge wings. It landed on the top left hand corner of the goal post. The bird stayed still as I walked not far from it, before eventually flying off again.
The Freedom of the Kite
I thought it unusual to have seen three large birds of prey within such a short space of time and in such close proximity. So, I asked the Lord whether He was speaking to me. I thought of the verse, “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 Red Kite had amazed me as it defied gravity and ascended upon the warm air currents, without even flapping its wings. Perhaps this is like the eagle in this verse. Its flight looked so effortless. It just ‘rested’ on the air currents. This is a promise for us, when we look to the Lord for our help and strength and trust in Him. He does the work for us and we ‘rest’ in Him. In Him we can rise above the pull of habitual sins, difficulties, circumstances, and environment.
Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28—30).
Jesus will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for Him, and the Holy Spirit is our helper (John 14:16-17).
The Falcon and the Flesh
In contrast to the glorious freedom of the Red Kite, the Falcon was a bird held in captivity. The Peregrine Falcon is a noble bird. It’s created to fly high and free. But the one I saw was not free. It was swooping around chasing the bait, a piece of ‘flesh’. It was chasing ‘easy food’ that it didn’t have to catch. And carried away in a vehicle, it was not free to use its wings. Similarly, our flesh loves comfort, and to have things ‘easy’. Our own ‘flesh nature’ is prone to laziness, pride, self-centredness, self-gratification and un-commanded works. The ‘flesh’ chases the pleasures of the world and is un-submitted to the Lord. It is easily distracted and drawn away by the lures and baits of the world.
Paul wrote, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5, 6)
Where will we set our minds? Will we soar higher, reaching out for life in the Spirit? Or will we seek to gratify the lusts of our flesh? The higher life is lived through faith in Jesus and obedience to the Word of God. Where is our focus? What are our goals?
The Buzzard and our will
This leads me to the third bird, the buzzard. This graceful bird flew down, gently flapping its huge strong wings, towards the goal post where it landed. This, I thought, could be seen to represent our will. It is the ‘will’ that chooses to act – whether to follow the flesh or the Spirit.
If we are passive and fail to exercise our will, we will open ourselves up to dark influences of the world, the flesh and the devil. We need to activate the will to look to Jesus, pray and put our trust in Him. It is with the will that we ‘fly’, like the buzzard, to Jesus, to submit to Him and ask His help.
Living a Godly life
As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, so the Lord brings us to new ‘heights’ of the fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and all the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5.22-23).
If we gratify the flesh it lures us back again and again, and after four or five ‘swoops at the bait’, we are hooked and addicted. Any simple thing can become an addiction. Purchasing a chocolate bar at the supermarket, can quickly become a habit. An hour on the internet can easily run away into two or three wasted hours. The last I saw of the falcon, it was being driven away ‘inside’ a vehicle, shut in and trapped. It no longer had control over its destination
We need to repent of our living to satisfy the low life of the flesh, rather than enjoying the ‘eagle like’ life of knowing God. We repent and ask Him to help us as we choose to change our goal post, and focus instead on the Lord. We put to death the deeds of the flesh and live unto Him, who is the ultimate goal of our faith.
It might be helpful to pray “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. We must ask Him for specific help not to sin. Christ in us overcomes. We cannot overcome or change by our own will power. We are incapable. Human strength cannot defy the ‘law of gravity’ of sin. Only the life of Jesus in us can overcome so that we live instead by the ‘law of Christ’. He alone can lift us up.
Like the Red Kite, it is possible to ‘soar effortlessly’ on wings like eagles. The bird just has to rest on the warm up current of air. Our focus needs to be on Jesus, resting in His complete work for us upon the cross. He has won the victory for us. As we lift up our eyes to Him, and pray for His help, we are filled with His heavenly life, and press on upwards in the call to holiness.
Let’s choose to be like the Red Kite and ‘mount up on wings like eagles’. Let’s defy the downward pull of sin through the power of Christ in us. He is our goal, our all, our everything. Without Him we can do nothing. All the glory goes to Him.