IT IS TIME TO SPREAD YOUR WINGS
Scripture reading:
Deuteronomy 32:10-15

Key Verse:
Deuteronomy 32:11‘As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.’
Introduction: 

– In this story, God had done great and wonderful things for His people. He had brought them out of captivity and provided for them in a wonderful way. However, they were not yet ready for what God had for them. He was preparing them for the future He had in store for them. It was a time of preparation. Over time they had almost become comfortable in the wilderness when God had in fact prepared a great future for them. He loved His people just the way they were, but loved them too much just to leave them the way they were.
– In the same way, the Lord takes us through the seasons of our lives to bring us to a place where we can step into all the good things that He has prepared for us. However, it requires something from us. We can’t just sit and wait for things to change. We have to rise to the occasion and step out in the future He has prepared. We have to embrace the transition and begin to spread our own wings so that we can reach the heights He has for us.

1. MOVING FROM THE WILDERNESS TO THE MOUNTAINTOP
– Deuteronomy 32:10 ‘He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; He guarded them as He would guard His own eyes.’ (NLT)
– In this verse we see how the Lord found His people in a desert land that was empty and a howling wasteland.
– Sometimes we have to go through seasons where nothing seems to happen. Seasons where we do not feel like we are making any progress and the little progress we are making is blown away by the howling winds of life.
– Even when we find ourselves in these types of seasons, the Lord is still there watching over us and protecting us as something that is valuable and precious to Him.
– But we must never settle for the wilderness lifestyle, we must never become comfortable in our wilderness because God has destined us for the mountaintops and beyond.
– Deuteronomy 32:13 ‘He made him ride on the heights of the land…’
– Your destination is not the howling wasteland nor is it the empty desert.
– Your destination is the heights of the land and the mountaintops of His favour.
– The question is; how does God move us from the wilderness to the mountaintop?

2. THE LORD IS STIRRING UP THE NEST
– In this regard the picture of the eagle is used to illustrate the process.
– The eagle does not want her young chick to become contented on the rocky outcrop or on the cliff face.
– The parent bird knows that there is much more instore but that it is outside the comfort of the nest.
– God knows that there is much more for you, but it is beyond the comfort of what you are comfortable with, and outside of what you have become used to and dependent on.
– So, the parent bird begins to stir up the nest.
– Deuteronomy 32:11 ‘As an eagle stirs up its nest…’
– The place that was once the cozy, secure and comfortable place, becomes a bit disorientating and uncomfortable.
– She begins to break up the nest and scatter the sticks and feathers that made it comfortable.
– The parent bird knows that her offspring is ready to fly and so she strips away the security and comfort of what used to be, so that the young bird can begin to look beyond the comfort zone.
– In the same way, when the Lord sees His children clutching to the bare rocks of life and holding on to the few sticks of what used to be, He is edging us to the precipice and towards the new dimension that lies ahead.
– This is very often the way in which the Lord moves us from the wilderness to the mountaintop.

3. IT IS TIME TO SPREAD YOUR WINGS
– When the current situation or our historical position becomes uncomfortable, it should be a sign to us that God is edging us upwards and onwards.
– Deuteronomy 32:11 ‘As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young.’
– It is time to then begin to spread your wings and expect the next progression in your development.
– The young eagle must be fearful at the prospect of leaving the comfortable and the secure for the great and wonderful ‘beyond!’
– But the parent eagle is not far away, she is setting the example of the prospect of flight.
– The verse says that she hovers over her young.
– This helps in edging the young bird forward, beckoning to them to take the next step, encouraging them to follow her example.
– In the same way the Lord hovers over you as you begin to spread your wings and trust Him for more and greater things.
– Ephesians 5:1 ‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.’
– The possibilities of flight for the young bird is so much greater than the security of the nest.
– The possibilities that await us when we step out, at the promptings of God’s leading, are limitless – the sky is not even the limit.

4. THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY
– As the little eagle ventures out beyond the nest and to the edge of the cliff, the parent bird prepares itself for whatever happens next.
– In the same way the Lord prepares Himself to come to our aid when we step out in faith and believe for the next step.
– The little bird has never flown before and now it’s the critical moment.
– Jump and die or jump and fly.
– Perhaps on the first attempt the young bird will begin to fall because it is unaccustomed to flight. The mother immediately swoops down and flies below it and catches it on her wings.
– Deuteronomy 32:11 ‘As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions (wings).’
– If you feel fearful to step out and believe, just know that the Lord is there to catch you and lift you up.
– Deuteronomy 33:27 ‘The eternal God is your Refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.‘
– Even if your faith is failing you, just know that He will be with you all the way and He helps you transition from where you are to the next degree of glory.
– He will carry you and lift you up and in the process He will teach you about the mystery of the greater and more abundant life that He knows is part of your destiny.
– No one else can take you through this change except the Lord Himself.
– Deuteronomy 32:12 ‘The LORD alone guided them…’
– Without His presence and His help it is best we stay just where we are, but with His help we can soar to new heights and see things from His perspective.

5. THE LORD HAS GOOD THINGS IN STORE FOR YOU
– Deuteronomy 32:13 ‘He let them ride over the highlands and feast on the crops of the fields. He nourished them with honey from the rock and olive oil from the stony ground.’
– Sometimes the future can seem daunting, but God knows the end from the beginning.
– He knows, just like the parent eagle, that on the other side of the process of stepping out is a dimension that few creatures will ever understand or experience.
– The eagle was created to fly and soar to great heights. He was designed to catch the thermals (the upward drafts of warm air) and be carried effortlessly to places that virtually no other bird can reach.
– It is from this great vantage point that he can see things from a different perspective, have an understanding of how things really are and live to a ripe old age.
– As you spread your wings and begin to step out in faith and confidence in God, you can expect that He will lift you up and raise you to the newness of life.
– Why would you settle for clinging to earth’s bare rocks, or staying a moment longer in the howling emptiness, or spending one more day in the wilderness, when you can and are designed to fly like an eagle?

6. NEVER FORGET WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU
– As the Lord takes you forward into a new season and into a different dimension, it is so important that you remember from where you have come and how the Lord has helped you and held you up.
– Deuteronomy 32:12 ‘The LORD alone led His people without the help of a foreign god.’ (GNT)
– We need to remind ourselves that it is God and God alone that has brought us to this point and it is Him and Him alone that will be with us and take us forward and upwards.
– Any success we may enjoy is thanks to what God has done in our lives and not our own doing, nor is it the doing of any other influence or force in our lives.
– It is all thanks to God!
– The nation of Israel made the mistake of thinking that they had been the ‘force for change’ in their situation and began to take the blessing and the hand of God for granted.
– In the process they lost the ground they had gained and lost the favour and blessings of God, and this brought hardship into their lives.
– Deuteronomy 32:15 ‘Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God Who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.’
– Never underestimate the hand of God in your life.
– Never write off or disregard what God has done and how far He has brought you.
– Stay humble and stay connected to the Lord your God and He will continue to do the good work that He has started in you.
– Philippians 1:6 ‘I am certain (confident and persuaded) that God, Who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.’
– It is time to spread your wings and embrace the new things that God wants to do in your life – it’s all part of His good plan for you!

By Pastor Andrew W. Roebert
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