(By Kim)
Is there something we can learn from the birds? Job 12:7 says, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.. “
Let us see the different kinds of birds (Christians) we come across in the church. Identify where you belong and where God intends you to be.
1. Chicken Christians
Let’s look at some characteristics of chickens.
Chickens fly very short distances and can be easily be caught by their predators. The longest recorded flight by a chicken was 15 seconds. Chickens are content in their comfort zone, and their entire lifetime is spent pecking from the ground. They are so weak that sometimes they can be scared to death.
You are a Chicken Christian if you are living a mediocre and complacent life. When trials come, you easily get entangled because have constantly fed yourself with worldly scarp and you don’t know how to apply the Word of God. Your life is ruled by fear instead of faith.
2. Peacock Christians
When a male peacock courts, he spreads his tail feathers wide to attract a female. Peacock Christians are focused on the display of self – my anointing, my ministry and my church! They have a high opinion about themselves and like it when people praise them. They get upset or offended when they are not acknowledged.
But God’s standards are different. He likens arrogance to idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23). Again the Bible says in Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
3. Cuckoo Christians
When a mother cuckoo wants to lay her eggs, she does not build a nest, instead she looks for a bird that has already built a nest and places her eggs inside it.
Cuckoo Christians are selfish Christians who are in the church with the idea: What is there in it for me? What can I get? They are stubborn and quick to point fingers at others, but do not like to take correction for themselves. They love to hear messages that tickle their ears.
Don’t be a Cuckoo Christian. The Bible says, Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24, Philippians 2:4).
4. Parrot Christians
Some Christians talk so much that they let the anointing ‘leak’ from their mouths! These are parrot Christians – boastful and often indulging in gossip.
Most of their words are centered around themselves. You give them the mike and they refuse to let go of it! Their testimonies are “Look, what I have done for the Lord” instead of “Look, what the Lord has done.”
The Bible says in Proverbs 10:19, When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
If you want to be a spokesperson for God, make Jeremiah 15: 19 your anthem – If you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.
5. Eagle Christians
The word ‘Eagle’ is mentioned 32 times in the Bible. To be an Eagle Christian means to be partaker of the divine nature of God. Here is in brief 5 amazing qualities of eagles that set them apart from other birds.
1. Eagle is the king of birds. It is massive in size and strongly built. It can catch its prey from 10,000 ft above the ground and the secret is its powerful vision. It is the only bird that can look directly into the sun. An Eagle Christian has his focus clear because His eyes are fixed on Jesus.
2. While the other birds fly in a flock, the eagle is a solitary bird. Most of the time it flies solo because the other birds cannot match up to the height at which an eagle can fly. An Eagle Christian always soars high because he is kingdom minded. He is too focused on Jesus to bother about what the world thinks about him.
3. An eagle’s strength is in its diet. It always feeds itself on freshly killed prey and don’t eat anything that is dead. Similarly an Eagle Christian derives his strength from fresh manna from the Word of God daily.
4. Unlike other birds, eagles love the storm. They use the strong winds of the storm to lift them higher. Eagle Christians use the trials in their lives as opportunities to soar high in their relationship with God.
5. Eagles train the eaglets to fly by dropping them from a height and slowly destroying the comfort of its nest. It may seem harsh to the eaglets at that time, but the mother eagle knows what she is doing.
An Eagle Christian knows that his Heavenly Father disciples whom He loves. No matter what the circumstances may show, he knows the goodness of His God and thus becomes stronger with each test that comes his way.