The truth is, we all have a few crows in our life. Am I right? You may have an entire flock of them where you work, along with a few chickens and turkeys, too!

Certain people rub us the wrong way; they sure can irritate us if we allow them. We need to take a lesson from the eagle instead. When the eagle is out flying, often a crow will come up right behind him and start to pester him, aggravating and annoying him. Although the eagle is much larger, it can’t maneuver quickly. To get rid of his pest, the eagle simply stretches out his eight-foot wing span and catches the thermal current, and he rises up higher and higher. Eventually, he gets to an altitude where no other bird can live. The crow can’t even breathe up there. On rare occasions, eagles have been spotted at altitudes as high as 20,000 feet, nearly as high as a jet flies.

In the same way: If you want to get rid of your pest, you need to rise higher. Don’t ever sink down to their level. Don’t argue; don’t try to pay somebody back; don’t give them the cold shoulder. Be the bigger person. Remain calm and confident. Have a gentle spirit. In the long run, crows can’t compete with eagles.

Folks, I’m talking to some eagles today! You’ve been made in the image of Almighty God. Learn to rise above your circumstances. Rise above the petty politics of the office. Don’t let people pull you into all the drama and division and get you all upset and gossiping. Live with a gentle spirit.

Always remember, the turkeys, chickens, and crows cannot live at the altitude for which you were designed to soar. God is in complete control of your life. He’s promised if you will remain cool, calm, and confident, He’ll fight your battles for you. He’ll make sure that even something someone else meant for evil turns out good for you.

So, how supportive are you with your words? Are you an encourager or discourager? Do you lift people up or put them down? Do you give strokes or pokes? Do you nag your children or do you brag on your children?

In Disney’s “The Lion King,” there’s a young lion named Simba who is the heir to the kingdom. But he’s falsely blamed for the death of his father. So Simba runs away, and he gives up on his dream of one day being king. Then one day his father appears to him in a vision. He says, “Simba, you have forgotten me.” Simba says, “But, Dad, how could I ever forget you?” His father replies, “You have forgotten who you are, and therefore you have forgotten me. Remember who you are. You are my child, the child of the one true king.”

God says to you and to me today, “Remember who you are. You are My child, a child of the one true king.” Today I want you to walk out those doors with your head held high and your heart on fire, saying, “I know who I am! I remember.”

These days we worry a lot about identity theft. But identity theft is nothing new. Your enemy Satan has been doing it for a long time. Satan’s number one trick is to try to steal your identity and steal your awareness of who you really are. God wants to give you life and life in all its fullness, but Satan has a plan for stealing it. He wants you to settle for so much less than what you were really made for. He knows that if he can steal your identity, he can steal your dreams and steal your purpose in life.

You and I need to be constantly aware that we are at the center of an epic battle. As C. S. Lewis put it, “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter claimed by Satan.”

Satan comes to us and whispers, “You’re not valuable. God can never use you. In fact, God is ashamed of you because you’ve blown it. And blown it again and again and again.” Satan says in his sticky-sweet voice, “You’re not worth much anymore. God uses other people, but He doesn’t use you. God can’t use you – you’re not spiritual enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not committed enough, you’re not strong enough, you’re not talented enough.”

Any of this sound familiar? Satan always tries to undermine our confidence, our confidence in who we’re made to be. But God constantly says, “Remember who you are. You are My child. You are a child of the King. That’s your true identity. You’re good and beautiful and righteous in Me. You are worth so much to Me that I came to earth and I died for you. That’s how valuable you are. Don’t forget who you are!”

A lot of people have an inaccurate view of God. They think God’s love is tied to their performance. “Oh, boy, I blew it big time, so I’d better not expect anything good from God.” The reality is, God is a loving Father. So He always wants good things for us!

How many of you are parents? You know what? Sometimes I’m proud of my kids and sometimes I’m not. But I never wish them harm. As a dad, I never wake up and think, I hope something bad happens to my kids today. Never. Never! Always, every day, I want my children blessed. I want my children whole. I want my children healthy. I am always and forever for my children. Even when they’re doing something I don’t support, I am for my children. And God is always for you. And, folks, the Bible says: “If God is for us, who can ever stand against us?” (Romans 8:31) There is no power on earth greater than my God. So if God is for me, I know I can get through whatever life throws at me.

There was a great baseball player, super talented. His dad was a great baseball player, so he was groomed from birth to play ball. But whenever his dad showed up at a game, he’d strike out. Why? He wanted his father’s approval so much, he choked.

Finally, Dad realized what was going on. He said, “Son, I don’t care if you get a hit. You can strike out every single time and I’m still going to love you. Because, son … I just love you. I love you because you’re my son.”

From that moment on, everything changed. That boy started hitting home runs. Why? Because from that moment on, he wasn’t playing for his father’s approval, he was playing from his father’s approval.

Let me tell you how this works. There’s a distinct difference between happiness and joy. Understanding that is the key. Most people think everything around them has to be going perfect in order to be happy. Folks, that day’s never going to come. So I’m talking about a building a joy deep inside – a joy that is internal, a joy that is eternal, a joy that comes from God.
Years ago there was a world famous comedian named Joey Grimaldi who kept people laughing all the time. Joey was so funny he was known to turn angry crowds into applauding audiences. But he wasn’t happy. He was a workaholic. He always felt pressured to perform better. He was a perfectionist, never satisfied.
Soon he became ill. He went to see a doctor. Joey had aged. The doctor didn’t even recognize that he was the famous comedian whose picture was everywhere. After examining him, he told him that there was really no medical reason for his illness, other than stress and overwork.
“Look, I don’t know what you do for a living,” said the doctor, “but I suggest you take some time off and relax. Go see that comedian Joey Grimaldi who’s in town this week. I hear he’s hilarious and laughter will do you some good.”
Joey looked at the doctor and said sadly, “But, Doc, I am Joey Grimaldi.”
A few weeks later, Joey collapsed and died from exhaustion. Sadly, he could make others laugh, but he never took time to laugh himself.