American writer Carl Sandberg once said, “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud”

What a great picture of the struggle that we all deal with inside. What Carl was saying is just a modern picture of what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15-24

 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Make no mistake, we are at war, and this war takes place inside of us. The greatest battle one faces is the battle within. I have found that the person who gives you the hardest time in life is yourself. Many times the enemy doesn’t have to deal with us at all because we do a good enough job for him as we beat ourselves up mentally, verbally, and spiritually. We can become our worst critic and fiercest predator if we do not get ahold of our spirit. I have a challenge for you…how about becoming your best friend and biggest supporter? How about believing in yourself as you seek to live Christ-like? This kind of living honors God. This is why the 2nd commandment says, “Love your neighbor as YOURSELF.” If most people loved their neighbor like themselves they would be kicked out of the community. This commandment assumes that as a God-follower you LOVE yourself because of the worth you have as a child of the King. It assumes you love yourself SO much that you will love your neighbor the same way. This is not pride, this is agreeing with your worth as God’s own.

So how do you unleash the Eagle within you to soar in the Spirit?

You may have heard of the ABC’s of Salvation (Admit you are a sinner…Believe in your heart…Confess with your mouth), but now let me tell you what I call the ABC’s of Soaration (living out your salvation)…

A = Accept Your Value

Understand that you are blessed, called, favored, empowered, gifted, and equipped to BE who God wants you to be. You need to know that you are worth it all. In fact, Jesus thought you were so worth it all that He gave His life for yours! Do you accept your value? Quit walking around with your head down in despair and defeat and start walking with a pep in your step because of the grace and mercy of the Savior Christ. Your worth is not in WHO you are, but WHO’S you are.

B = Break Your Chains

Quit allowing your negative thinking chain you down in defeat. You were made to soar with a mission, but you can’t get anywhere if you continue to allow the sandbags of sin to weigh you down. Christ came to set us free from the chains of sin and death. One of the greatest chains that hold us down is FEAR. Most people deal with 3 types of fears…

• 1. The fear of failure
• 2. The fear of others
• 3. The fear of the unknown

The truth is none of these reason are bigger than God! Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Quit talking about how you can’t step out for God and start taking about how you are going to step out for God. Quit making excuses and agreeing with your self limiting beliefs. The more you argue for your limitations the more you will own them.

C = Control Your Attitude

If you want to soar in your altitude then get a hold of your attitude. You can’t go higher and higher by bringing yourself lower and lower. Attitude will determine how you go through life. Remember that every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. If you don’t control your attitude it will control you. Stop looking at what you don’t have and start to be thankful for what you do have. Stop looking at what isn’t happening and start praising God for what is happening. Get your mind focused on the right things and you’ll see your attitude shape right into what God designed it to be. Follow the wisdom from Evangelist John Wesley when he said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”