When the Enemy Attacks, Fly Higher

 

I read something really interesting the other day regarding eagles and crows. There’s a reason a group of crows is called a “murder of crows”. Not a very complimentary name, is it?

Crows are often called the ‘gangsters of the sky’ and the reason they’re given this title is because their attacks are cunning, crafty and overwhelming to their unsuspecting victims.

They may be smaller in size in comparison to other birds, but their sense of entitlement pushes them to lay claim to anything appealing and they don’t have a preference as to what or who stands in their way.

Not only are crows cunning and crafty, they are also thieves. Hunting takes a lot of energy, and so they resort to theft of another’s food.

Individually, they are small, but together, they are a powerful force. They are intelligent and they are fast. Doing a little research, I found that the jury is still out on a correct number, but it seems that crows can fly at speeds of up to 100 km per hour!

Crows don’t ‘fight fair’. They will use their numbers to intimidate and confuse their victims, with their incessant cries and their tag-team tactics, they slowly wear down their victim.

But there is an interesting scenario that has been witnessed and photographed many times. A lone crow will choose an eagle to torment. An eagle! One of the largest of birds, powerful, grand, and the strongest bird of prey.

The crow will dive bomb an eagle, peck at it, pull its feathers and sometimes land on its back. It’s hard to imagine that the eagle, an undisputed king of the air, predatory and powerful, would be so tormented by a common crow.

They do this for many reasons. Sometimes it’s simply the fact that crows are territorial and are not keen on sharing spaces. Another reason is for protection of their young, they often keep in groups to keep predators from getting too close to their nests. And as I mentioned before, they are thieves. Hunting for food is time consuming and difficult, so if a crow can steal another’s birds’ eggs or food, they will gladly do so. By using numbers to their advantage, they can often distract a larger bird and catch them unaware.

If a ‘murder’ of crows begins to torment an eagle, or a brave lone crow decides to take on an eagle on its own, the eagle does something very clever.

Before I tell you what that is, remember, that although the eagle is more powerful, the crows are incessant and don’t give up easily. They will chase their opponent for miles and miles. Pecking, dive-bombing, using their loud cry ‘caw-caw’ to drive their victim into a state of confusion and frustration which leads to mistakes being made and harm being done, or food being stolen.

So, what is this clever, ingenious way the eagle has to defeat the crow? Keep in mind that despite the eagle being one of the deadliest birds of prey, they are not eager to get hurt as this could damage their hunting prowess and cause a food shortage.

When a crow or many crows attack, the eagle does what it does best. It climbs higher. It turns its focus upwards and heads for heights that a crow cannot reach.

The eagle can fly to heights of 10 000 feet, while a crow can only reach 7000 feet. Anything above that and the crow will become dizzy and faint due to their lung capacity being so much smaller than an eagles.

When a crow is on its tail, the eagle's only option is to fly higher. It can only really be safe when it reaches an altitude that the crow can no longer reach, which causes him to give up on the fight.

Okay, so what to do with all this information about eagles and crows.

Did all this talk of cunning, craftiness, theft, incessant cries and torment remind you of anyone?

The Devil.

We are told that our enemy, the Devil is a thief and a liar, he prowls around seeking to devour us. He desires to bring us down, to defeat us. He wants to intimidate us, rob us, hurt us.

When God is about to bless us, the Devil is close by, ready to snatch it out of our grasp. He is relentless, and his whispers of lies, negativity and accusations hope to wear us down, pecking at our minds, pulling at us from every angle.

So, what are we to do when the Devil hops on our back and begins his persistent attack? We turn our gaze upward and climb higher.

We don’t stick around, dwelling on the negative and harmful thoughts. We don’t focus on the attack, listening to the voices. We focus our attention upward.

We have to forget what the enemy is doing and remember what God has already done. Satan is already a defeated foe. Christ has already won the victory.

We have to go where the enemy can’t follow. Higher. Upwards. Into the presence of God.

Easy to say, but how do we do that practically? Where is God’s presence?

Look at this verse in the Psalms.

Psalm 22:3 KJV -  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

This verse tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. In other words, one way we can defeat the enemy is with our praise and worship of God!

If you’re still unconvinced, let me give you some examples in scripture where an act of praise and worship caused bonds to break and victories to be won.

David’s worship caused an evil spirit to flee from Saul (1 Samuel 16:23)

Paul and Silas’ worship broke their chains and freed them from prison (Acts 16:24-26)

Jehosaphat and the people of Israel praised God and God fought the battle for them (2 Chronicles 20:19-22)

Don’t ever underestimate the power of thanksgiving, praise and worship. When the enemy is attacking and you make the choice to praise God and focus your attention on what he has done in the past and what he will do in the future, the Devil has no choice but to fall back.

We have to focus our attention on getting higher. We have to rise above the circumstance, the depression, the hurt, the fear, the doubt. We have to draw closer to God.

The closer you draw to God, the less the enemy can stand it. The air will get too thin for him, he won’t be able to breathe, he won’t be able to stand your praise of God and he will drop off his attack.

But don’t be fooled that he’s given up completely, he will rise to fight another day, so you have to be on your guard. Keep your spiritual armour on (Ephesians 6) and be watchful.

As you meditate on God’s goodness, his love, his mercy, his compassion, his almighty, unchanging power, the enemy will begin to seem small and insignificant in comparison.

Keep in mind this promise to claim and praise God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Psalm 121:1-2 KJV - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

When the enemy attacks, use worship and praise and thanksgiving to put wind under your wings and lift you higher, out of reach.

Fly higher!