I jumped when I woke during the night from one of those quick jab-to-the-face sort of dreams. Since a full night of sleep rarely blankets my night, I immediately prayed to God to help me get it out of my mind. 

A man had held down an eagle on the ground and was about to cut off the eagle’s legs. 

There was nothing more to the dream, but it was enough to disturb me greatly. My heart for animals kept me laying there knowing there was no way I’d get back to sleep without getting the image out of my mind. When I cried out to God, He instantly spoke to my heart:

“If you want to get the image out of your mind, imagine what the eagle would do to get away.”

So I imagined the eagle pecking unrelentingly at the man to get away. Again, it was as though the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart:

“Yes, that’s exactly what the eagle would do. Instinctively the eagle would peck like mad at anyone trying to do such a thing because the eagle wants to get away to fly.”

After that I must have fallen asleep because I didn’t remember anything else until I sat at the table slurping my coconut milk latte. As I wiped the froth from my upper lip, I recalled the dream and realized the Holy Spirt was trying to tell me something – two things, actually! Firstly, that I intuitively know when someone or something is trying to hurt me or hold me down. And secondly, it’s perfectly reasonable and understandable for me to be assertive and not put up with such a thing because, although I’m not meant to literally fly, I am a creation of God with a purpose that should not be thwarted.  

Do you, like me, look back and recall all the times you’ve kept your mouth closed or put up with a bad situation, and you did it to “keep peace”? I think when we do that our intuition-alarm begins fading to an octave we no longer can hear. Furthermore, those human, heartfelt instincts (to peck unrelentingly) to be assertive and stand up for ourselves start leaving us, thus leaving us to feel unworthy and not good enough for what God actually created us to be. 

Ephesians 4:25-27 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” 

A therapist once taught me that there is a difference between being aggressive and being assertive. Basically, aggression occurs unprovoked and assertion involves wisdom. The man trying to hurt the eagle was aggressive. The eagle trying to get away was assertive. Maybe part of being assertive means using the anger we feel inside to give us the boldness to speak truth, in part speaking truth about ourselves as the need arises. 

I wonder if a part of what Paul meant as he spoke to the Ephesians, “In your anger to not sin,” he was saying not to be aggressive but assertive. As he explained further, “Do not to let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold,” I think maybe he was letting us know that when we feel those intuitions to speak out and take a stand for what is true, we need to do so immediately and righteously. Otherwise, bitterness will set in (coupled with negative personalized beliefs when we take a stand for ourselves). Furthermore, not being assertive in the moment allows the devil to gain a foothold in our lives. 

God has a plan for you and me. Like the eagle in my dream asserting its power to protect itself from harm, God has the same desire for us. He doesn’t expect us to succumb to the aggressions of others. Done with godly wisdom, assertion is not a sin. Assertion involves speaking truth without hesitation. Just like the eagle who pecked its way to freedom before the man could gain a “foothold.” We, too, can do the same and find the freedom to be who God created us to be.

Pray with me: Father, You are good, and You have a good plan for my life. Help me in those moments when I need to speak truth to someone who may have ill intentions. I want to stand up for truth about myself and also for Your Truth in general. Teach me to be bold and courageous. Help me to be assertive in a manner that is pleasing to You. Remind me daily to put on Your armor because I want to take a stand against the devil’s schemes. I want nothing to come between You and me. My desire is full commitment in serving You the way You created me to serve. I adore You. Amen.