When the Enemy Attacks, Fly Higher

There’s a reason that crows are known as the “gangsters of the sky.” A group of crows is called a “murder,” and their attacks are as cunning as they are overwhelming to their victims. When they set their sights on an eagle, the strongest bird of prey, the eagle is outnumbered. Its only recourse is to fly to heights where the crows cannot follow. Last Sunday my pastor used this as an analogy in a sermon, so I did some research. For Christians, when the Enemy begins an attack, our strategy should be the same.

Crows Attack Eagles

Crows attack eagles mainly to steal their food. Hunting takes a lot of energy, so crows will often resort to theft instead. Another reason is to protect their territories. They tend to get violent when other birds get close to their nests or hunting grounds.

Individually, crows are small, but together, they bring a powerful force. They synchronize against their prey and use their intelligence and speed. It is said that crows are as smart as a seven- to ten-year-old child, and they can reach up to 70 mph while gliding. While they lack the pure strength and size of an eagle, they make up for it with their tactics. They dive bomb at eagles, peck at them and pull at their feathers, and sometimes land on their backs. Like hyenas on land, they don’t “fight fair.” They use their numbers to bring confusion to victims who can’t focus on so many threats at once to defend themselves. 

Crows also use a technique called “mobbing” in which as few as three or four crows but as many as dozens of them will come at a victim simply using their voices. They will caw and caw, intimidating their prey with their incessant cries. Not only that but they will tag-team. While some crows leave to feed and rest, other crows will come into the fight to continue the tactics, wearing down their victims who get no breaks from the torment.

The Eagle Flies Higher

So, what is a lonely eagle to do against so many crows? Experts say that eagles fly higher. They turn their focus upward and head for heights where the crows cannot follow. An eagle can comfortably reach 10,000 feet while crows top out at about 7,000. Any higher than that, and crows get dizzy and faint because they don’t have the eagles’ lung capacity to breathe at those heights.

Christian Eagles and Demonic Crows

Just like crows attack to steal food from eagles, the Enemy attacks Christians to intimidate us, hurt us, and rob us of our rewards. Any time God is about to bless us, you can be sure that the imps of Hell are close by, waiting to snatch it out of our grasp. The Enemy will also come against us to protect a territory of darkness from the light we seek to bring into it. There is an old saying that goes something like, “If you aren’t being attacked by the Enemy, are you really a threat to the kingdom of darkness?” It’s meant to make us examine ourselves to make sure that we are striving to be faithful to God’s will instead of sliding into complacency.

As human beings, we are no match for the forces of evil. Satan’s kingdom has the benefit of thousands of years of practice against man. Demonic entities outnumber and outmatch us in every area on our own. In the same way that crows synchronize and tag team, the Enemy does too, wearing us down with perseverance. His forces mob us with loud voices raised in negativity, lies, and accusations. His attacks peck at our minds, pulling at us and coming at us from every angle. The Enemy can also assault our finances, our bodies, and/or our relationships and bring pressure from all sides. Of course, all of this is dependent upon God allowing it for His purposes. Whether it is to strengthen our faith, teach us a lesson, or correct our behavior, the Lord is in control and nothing happens without His say-so.

We Must Fly Higher

But we can’t stick around to listen to the negative voices, and we can’t focus on the attacks. When we do that, we can end up in confusion and get overwhelmed. If we spend too much energy on worry, the problems become magnified in our minds almost to the point at which they become an idol on the throne of our hearts.

Instead, like the eagle, we need to stop looking at our circumstances and focus our attention upward. We must forget what the Enemy is doing and remember what God has already done on our behalf. It’s all about Christ. He has won the victory. Satan is a defeated foe!

Then we must go where the Enemy can’t follow – higher – into the presence of God. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. 

Praise and Worship Defeat the Enemy

Choosing to turn away from the attack of the Enemy to focus on the superior power and grace of the Lord is submission. When we submit to God, the enemy will flee (James 4:7). The Bible has many examples of times in which the mere act of praise and worship caused bonds to break, walls to come down, and battles to be won. Here are a few:

• David’s worship caused the evil spirit to leave Saul in 1 Samuel 16:23.
• Paul and Silas’ worship broke their bonds and opened prison cells in Acts 16:24-26.
• Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel praised God, and God fought the battle for them in 2 Chronicles 20:19-22
• Joshua and his people shouted and blew the trumpets and the walls of Jericho fell flat in Joshua 6:20

We must never underestimate the power of thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Don’t wait until Sunday to pray and sing praises to the Lord. Build an “altar” in your home. Designate a place and time to commune with the Lord every day.

Change Your Position, Change Your Perspective

“I will lift up mine eyes until the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

Crows don’t fight fairly and neither do demons. We will never win our spiritual battles trying to fight the Enemy one-on-one from below. Instead, like the eagles, we must focus our attention on getting higher. The closer we get to God, the less the Enemy will be able to stand it. The air will get thin for him, and he will faint and drop off his attack. Plus, when we really meditate and contemplate the vast expanse of God’s love for us and His ultimate power over every aspect of our lives, the Enemy below will start to seem small and insignificant by comparison. 

Here are the articles I used for bird research. Do Eagles Fly High to Get Rid of Crows, Why Do Crows Chase Eagles?, Can Eagles Fly Higher Than Crows?, and Crows vs Ravens: 5 Main Differences.

If you like articles about spiritual warfare, try Spiritual Warfare: A Defeated Foe.  Or, try God Trains Our Hands for War. Please sign up to receive my blog in your email inbox. You can find that at the upper right of your screen (or at the bottom on a phone). Also, check out my YouTube Channel where I read the blogs out loud. I also have a playlist of hymns from my church.