Walk the Walk

How hard are you flapping your wings???

• Tina Perry

Share episode

Have you ever watched a bird navigate the unpredictability of the sky, flapping furiously before finding a moment of graceful glide? Our latest episode explores this captivating metaphor for the Christian journey, sharing how we too oscillate between frenetic activity and peaceful surrender in our spiritual lives. We probe the deception of easy fixes, like the lure of substances or false promises, that ultimately lead us into despair. I open up about my own experiences with these moments of intense struggle and the relief that comes from seeking refuge in Jesus. It's a raw look at the reality of our faith walk – one that doesn't promise a storm-free life but does offer an anchor in the tempest.

Join us as we delve into the sanctuary of prayer and the profound solace found in Jesus Christ's presence. In a heartfelt conversation, we extend our prayer for serenity and guidance not only to ourselves but to our friends and neighbors, touching on the communal aspect of our faith. This episode is an invitation to abandon the illusion of self-sufficiency and instead embrace the tranquility that comes from a steadfast relationship with God. We're reminded that while the flight may be turbulent, our wings are strengthened and guided by a force greater than any adversity we face.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to Walk the Walk. I have a question for you how fast are you flapping your wings? Now you might be like what are you talking about? As you probably usually say listening to my podcasts. Well, today I was outside enjoying the beautiful weather that we're having here in Tennessee and I looked out and I saw this little white bird flying, flapping its wings, and then all of a sudden, it started to glide so smoothly and beautiful. And then, out of nowhere, these other three birds came and started to chase it and the bird began to flap its wings hard again to get away from them. And as soon as it got away from them, it started to glide again, and that made me think of us as Christians. You know, a lot of times we are flapping our wings, trying to get through life, and then then we go smooth sailing and it's pleasurable, and then, before you know it, the enemy strikes. The enemy comes after us and makes us flap our wings hard trying to get away. Now this bird was able to get away and then it started to fly very smoothly again. But you know, sometimes in life we flap our wings where it seems like forever, flapping our wings, trying to get through life struggling and struggling and never thinking about how can I glide through the air? Well, we all know the answer to that and that's by asking Jesus to protect us.

Speaker 1:

You know, yesterday's podcast or, excuse me, monday's podcast was about how busy are you keeping God? And probably most of us will say, well, I pray. You know, maybe not every day, but when somebody asks me to, or you know, if I have a problem, I pray. But I think God's asking us to do that all the time. And, like I've said to you before, I am not a prayer, I'm a talker. I talk to God all the time. I talk very frankly with Him. Lord, come on, you said you would do this. I'm asking you. So I'm very frank with God, but I do try to keep Him busy. I would hope that God would say you again, meaning okay, keep coming, keep coming at me. I'm here, tina, but I've thought about my wings flapping and sometimes, you know, I watch birds here because they're so prevalent that it just looks like they're really not going anywhere. They fly out over the water and then tend to come back to where they started from, so they just kind of make a big old circle.

Speaker 1:

In this case, this bird was being chased, which I would consider to be by the enemy, but was able to get away In life. There are some people that cannot get away. If you look at those who are hooked on drugs and alcohol somewhere in life. They were flapping their wings and the enemy showed up, and the enemy gave them a false hope. The enemy told them look, you don't need to work this hard, you don't need to flap your wings this hard. I've got an answer for you, and I would venture to say that most people who get hooked on drugs need an answer. I don't think people would just. Maybe I'm wrong, because I've never used drugs, I've not been addicted to those, so I'm not going to say I'm the expert on it by any means, but in my mind I'm thinking there's a reason that they've started. There's a reason They've been flapping their wings, flapping their wings, never being able to glide.

Speaker 1:

Can you imagine a bird flapping its wings and never getting to stop? That would be so challenging, as a person going through life constantly struggling, and then somebody comes along. That person who's struggling opens the door, but unfortunately they open it way too wide, so wide that, before they realize what's coming in, they can't reach the handle to close the door and before you know it, they're stuck. They're stuck in a downward spiral, trying to figure out what can I do to get back to the smooth gliding. But they can't. That's how Satan does it. He makes it look like he is going to make you go smooth sailing with what he has. And before you know it and for a moment I'm going to guess for a moment that they do glide smoothly oh my gosh, this is awesome. And then, before you know it, they're flapping again and then they seek the devil again, to the point where, eventually, they don't have to seek the devil, they take care of their own flapping their wings.

Speaker 1:

Now, I know I make it sound relatively easy, but for those who have been hooked on drugs and alcohol or whatever send their end, it's really hard to get back out. And I don't mean to make light of any of this, because this is a serious thing for these people. I don't think their intentions in the beginning were to get hooked on drugs, to have an affair, to start drinking alcohol. In my mind, I don't think people set out to do those things, but I think life gets hard and they don't know where to turn and you know, you've seen people. Their life gets hard so they decide they're going to change what their outside looks like, but nobody tells them. You're inside and your mind stay the same. So the problems you went into it with are going to be the problems that will still be there For a few minutes.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, things will be smooth selling. But if you don't really get to the problem cause you'll never be able to change, if most people were just to go to Jesus in the first place, that smooth selling will happen much more often. Yeah, yep, we as Christians flap our wings. I mean, boy, wouldn't it be nice if we could just always have smooth selling. But it doesn't work like that as a Christian. So if somebody is trying to sell you that bill of goods saying listen, be a Christian, nothing will ever go wrong. Things will always be blissful. You'll be smooth selling all the time. Don't listen to them. Run, they're lying.

Speaker 1:

As we, as Christians, flap our wings, I will say probably not as much, maybe not as hard, but the one thing about it is, when I start to flap my wings, I know who to go to and I let him know. I need you to take care of this. I'm exhausted. I cannot do this for very long. I need you, jesus. I need you. How often are you keeping him busy with those words? I need you, jesus. My friends need you, jesus.

Speaker 1:

I'm coming to you with this prayer, a request. I'm talking to you, jesus, because I know that you have all the answers Now. You may not answer me in the time that I want you to, but I know you will. Let me have some smooth sailing, jesus. Let my neighbor have smooth sailing, let my friends have smooth sailing. But the one thing we cannot remember or, excuse me, we cannot forget, but we need to remember is that we have to rely on Jesus. There's no other way. You can't fix it. I can't fix it, only Jesus. Do you want some more smooth sailing in your life? Because I'm not going to say it's always going to be.

Speaker 1:

But the one thing about it is, when I start flapping my wings, I know exactly who to look to, and that's Jesus Christ. Let the devil fool you into thinking that he has the answers, because he doesn't. Oh, he has answers for you, but that's not the right one. Go to God and tell him I need you. I need you to help me stop flapping my wings, he will. He'll help you. He'll give you a sense of peace that you need, even when you are flapping your wings. He will give you that sense of peace. What more can we ask for? Doesn't that sound delightful? Go to Jesus and stop flapping your wings.