Whether you are soaring high amidst
the clouds of prosperity, health and wholeness or in danger
of nose-diving into the Atlantic Ocean, the Word has it
covered. Discover how to avoid a "pilot error" as you soar
to the heights of spiritual maturity.
Every pilot needs three things: an aircraft, a license and a
Pilot Operating Handbook. Commonly know in aviator circles
as a “P.O.H.,” the Pilot Operating Handbook is required
aboard every aircraft. That’s because its pages contain
critical information about the airplane’s operating
limitations. The POH tells us how fast we can fly, how high
we can climb, how far we can travel, and how fast we can
descend.
As Christians, our P.O.H. is the Word of God. Just as we
would never attempt to fly a plane without a P.O.H., we
should never attempt to travel anywhere without the Word
tucked away in our hearts. After all, Jesus said, “Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out
of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
A Christian ascending the heights of spiritual maturity has
much in common with the pilot and examining the aviator’s
checklist offers a vivid illustration with many parallels to
how we can soar safely. For example, the pilot totes an
Engine Startup Checklist, a Cold Weather Startup Checklist,
and various types of emergency checklists carefully crafted
to help the pilot avoid trouble in the sometimes
not-so-friendly skies.
Take the Engine Startup Checklist. Pilots rely on this as a
guide to push all the right buttons – and in the right order
– to make sure all instruments are a “go.” This checklist
helps pilots remember to switch the fuel selector valve to
the proper fuel tank for takeoff. It also reminds them to
disengage the elevator-locking mechanism. If pilots forget
to do this, then they could find themselves at the end of
the runway traveling more than 100 mph, unable to get into
the air and trying to avoid the trees. Ouch!
We’ve all experienced life’s emergencies, those serious
situations that happen unexpectedly and demand immediate
action. That’s when it becomes absolutely critical to
respond appropriately – according to the Word. If we had an
in-flight emergency, then we would immediately grab our
Emergency Procedures Checklist and search for some quick
solutions. As believers our checklist is the Word.
Everything we need to know about victorious living is
written in the Bible. Whether we are soaring high amidst the
clouds of prosperity, health and wholeness or in danger of
nose-diving into the Atlantic Ocean, the Word has it
covered.
Mechanical failure: The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has determined that there are certain
“reoccurring” causes for aviation emergencies, such as
mechanical failure, pilot error, power loss, operating
outside normal limitations, poor maintenance, and fuel
starvation. According to the FAA mechanical failure is the
leading cause of aviation emergencies. A mechanical failure
happens when the pilot has failed to use his tools properly.
That improper use can lead to an emergency.
As Christians we have tools - including prayer, worship,
studying the Word of God, fellowship, walking in faith and
love, the blood of Jesus, and the authority to use God’s
Word, etc. – that enable us to avoid mechanical failures in
life, but, like the pilot, we must use our tools properly.
Alternatively, if we don’t know His Word (A.K.A. our
spiritual Pilot Operating Handbook) then we can’t
effectively apply it to our lives. And without proper use of
this all-important tool, we could suffer from a mechanical
failure. The good news is the Word of God serves as our
emergency checklist when things go wrong. It’s never too
late to find and apply the Scriptural truth that will help
us steady our plane.
Pilot error: The second reason for an aviation
emergency, according to the FAA, is pilot error. Can you
imagine that the pilot (that’s you and me) could actually be
one of the most common causes of an emergency situation?
Looking at ourselves as the problem is typically the last
thing we want to do. But a self-caused emergency situation
could occur simply by believing things that are not true.
When we have a wrong belief system, we will find ourselves
in an emergency somewhere along our course of flight. In
aviation we would call that a “wrong interpretation of the
flight instruments” and it could lead us into drastic
situations.
If we believe wrong, then we can’t have a solid biblical
foundation for faith to stand on. Solid faith must stand on
God’s truth alone. This will prevent us from making a wrong
interpretation of life’s events. Interpretation errors can
also be caused by vain traditions, dead religious form or
ignorance. Just like the pilot that is unschooled in the
laws of flight can run into serious problems, ignorance of
God’s Word and His will for your life could also cause you
some major problems. God gives us a great solution to wrong
interpretation by telling us to “not be conformed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
Power loss: The FAA cites the third leading cause for
aviation emergencies as power loss. The FAA has brilliantly
determined that a power loss will cause a performance
decrease. The FAA is talking about running out of gas or the
engine quitting. But what happens if believers run out of
gas? Could a loss of gas (spiritual power) also cause a
decrease in performance in our lives? If power loss equals
decreased performance, then that could also be a reason for
our emergency situations. But the FAA doesn’t stop there.
This federal agency is funded by U.S. taxpayers and has a
responsibility to continue looking for detailed explanations
that lead to fewer accidents. To that end, the FAA has
determined that power loss emergencies and accidents have a
variety of causes, such as operating outside normal
limitations, poor maintenance and fuel starvation.
Operating outside limitations: Consider the example
of operating engines beyond their “normal limits.” How can
we relate that to spirit life living? Well, to operate
outside our normal limitations could mean that we are trying
to do something that we are not called to do. I once knew a
worship leader who thought he was called to pioneer and
pastor a church. The problem was this man was not called to
pastor. I knew if I told him that, then he would be offended
and I would quickly lose any opportunity to speak into his
life. Unfortunately, correction is one of the most difficult
things for anyone to receive. Nobody, especially immature
believers, likes correction. Yet, to me, it was quite
obvious that this man was not called to the responsibilities
of a full-time pastoral ministry. A desire alone without a
call from God will soon result in a failure.
What was noticeable, however, was the strong grace of God in
his life when he sang. It was so beautiful to experience a
worship service that he was leading. Sadly, he was not
content with leading worship only. He still wanted to
preach. But every time he did, it was dry, boring and void
of anointing. In other words, every time he stepped outside
his scope of ministry he bombed out. Yet when he led
worship, there was such a beautiful spiritual climate. Why?
Because the anointing was on the normal operations, or the
scope of ministry, into which he was called.
Poor maintenance: The FAA also says that poor engine
maintenance could cause a power loss. All of us need to
maintain our spiritual engines. If we ignore our spiritual
condition, then we could quickly find ourselves in an
emergency situation. We must spend time studying God’s Word
and in prayer. Let me offer you a profound statement:
Ministries do not fail overnight. The reason ministries and
people fail is because they continually ignore something in
their lives. They suffer a power loss due to poor spiritual
maintenance. We must never ignore the little foxes because
they always spoil the vine.
Fuel starvation: Fuel starvation is another common
reason believers have a power loss. Sometimes we simply run
out of gas. Not eating enough or walking in the Word could
cause spiritual fuel starvation. We can’t merely go through
religious motions or we will starve our spirits. We must
continue to feast on the Word. Jesus said, “Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they
shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Those who hunger and thirst
after righteousness will never have a fuel starvation
emergency. They will be full and ready for any long
cross-country flight. Don’t let yourself run out of fuel.
Read the Word, pray, hang out with other believers, stay
plugged into your local church, and get back on the cutting
edge.
Advance preparation: So now that we have discussed
the many causes of spiritual emergencies, what can we do to
prepare for one? Well, let’s ask ourselves some questions:
Have I submitted myself to God? Am I ready to resist the
enemy of my soul when he comes knocking on my door? Am I
prepared to step up and boldly say, “You’d better leave my
house alone in the name of Jesus!”? Will I declare,
“Sickness, you’re not going to affect me!” in the face of
the flu and, “Poverty, get away from me!” when my bills
aren’t paid? If we have prepared ourselves for emergencies
in advance by writing the Word of God on the tablet of our
hearts, then we will be ready to fight the good fight of
faith.
Don’t jump ship: The next important thing during an
in-flight emergency is to “fly the airplane.” That’s really
a profound statement, isn’t it? That means we don’t break
rank and run. We don’t stop doing what we know to do. We
don’t forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We don’t
abandon our airplane when we have an emergency. We resist
that emergency and stand fast. “Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In
all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”
(Proverbs 3:5-6). We get out our spiritual checklist – the
Word of God – knowing that Jesus will get us through. We
continue doing what we’ve been trained for. We keep the
faith and keep on flying the airplane.
Don’t ignore the crisis: Some pilots are reluctant to
accept an emergency situation during flight. They try to
ignore it, which only leads to more trouble. Just like a
pilot who refuses to take action by ignoring the emergences,
some people refuse to take the necessary steps to change
their circumstances. We must never idly accept the emergency
situations in our lives. We must rather attempt to do
something about them. Have you ever met anyone who has
stopped resisting negative circumstances and resign himself
or herself to a disaster, as if that were their lot in life?
The reality is if we want change in our lives, then we have
to change.
Somebody once said, “If you want to change your tomorrow,
then you’ve got to change what you do today.” We can’t keep
repeating what we did yesterday and think that tomorrow
things will be any different. In reality, something
different must take place. That means you and I, the pilots
in command, must make some important choices. Our lives are
the result of the choices we made yesterday. When we are in
an emergency situation, we’ve got to do something different!
We can’t ignore the emergency and we can’t give up. The Word
says, “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due
season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
Undo what you last did: Sometimes pilots encounter
emergencies because they did something they should not have
done. When we have emergencies in our lives, we should check
to see where we went wrong and repent. We need to do a
self-check now and again to allow the Holy Spirit to show us
if we are heading toward a disaster in our life caused by
“pilot error.” Perhaps we have interpreted some things
wrong. Perhaps some errors occurred because we believed
wrong or were simply ignorant of the Word.
Perhaps we turned the fuel selector valve to an empty fuel
tank. If so, then we need to change it back. Maybe we set
the engine power settings to the wrong RPM. If so, then we
need to change it back. It could be that we have mistakenly
entered into inclement weather. Well then, let’s turn
around. Maybe the engine quit running. If so, then don’t
panic. Get that engine started. It could be that we just
flat-out sinned. Anybody can blow it.
If that’s you, then repent, and get your eyes back on Jesus
and His truth. He is your chief piloting instrument. Don’t
step into error by taking your eyes off of Him. He loves you
and has a great plan for your life. The Apostle John wrote,
“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1
John 1:9).
We need to look at what we did right before the emergency
and put things back in order and ask for forgiveness. God
made us and he understands us better than we understand
ourselves. Get out the Pilot Operating Handbook and look up
your instructions on how to live. And finally, remember
this: The Holy Spirit has cleared you for takeoff and higher
living.
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