Prov. 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths’.
DAILY READING Mark 8:1-21; 2 Samuel 19; Daniel 12

Following instructions is critical to a pilot’s survival during a storm, fog or at night. In such situations, a pilot can lose all sense of direction.  In order to survive, he must adhere strictly to the instructions on his instruments panel.

During operation desert storm, Lt. Col. Jeff Patton flew an F-15 fighter jet, as part of a mission to bomb a chemical weapons plant in Iraq. To avoid being detected by enemy defenses, the planes flew in a cloudy night, where there was no moonlight.  Flying in total darkness, the pilots became completely dependent upon their instruments. But shortly after crossing into Iraq, Col. Patton realized that an Iraqi missile radar had detected his plane and “locked on” to it.  To escape being hit by the missile, he violently maneuvered his aircraft in another direction. Though he succeeded in escaping the missile, the sharp maneuver  had thrown him out of balance, causing him to become disoriented, and lose sense of direction. Because he was flying in total darkness, he could no longer tell if he was going up or down. Though his mind was telling him he was going up, when he checked his instruments, they indicated he was diving down to the ground!  His mind was screaming at him to lower the plane, because he was going up too high, but on the other hand his instruments instructed him to immediately lift up the plane because he was headed to the ground for a crash. He had to decide quickly whether to trust his mind or his instruments.  At that moment his life depended on making the correct choice. Even though it took everything within him to overcome what his mind was telling him, he decided to trust his instruments.  He immediately pulled his plane upward. It only took a few moments to realize he had made the right decision. He found he had narrowly escaped colliding into the mountains of Iraq. Had he delayed just three more seconds his plane would have crashed into the mountains. If he had lowered the nose of his jet like his mind had been telling him, he would have crashed the plane. Trusting his instruments saved his life!
We walk by faith not by sight. We fly by instructions. In those times, when it seems we are going through a storm or a fog in life, we need to rely on God’s guidance through the “instruments” of His Word.

Storms are often indicative of spiritual warfare. And don’t forget our wrestle is not with flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. This is therefore not the time to rely on physical senses, but rather to engage the force of The Spirit. Our physical senses can be misleading and deceptive. To follow our minds can be dangerous. The book of Proverbs says there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  To fly through the storms of life, we need to strictly adhere to the instructions of scriptures.

Isaiah 30 says you shall hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk ye in it when you turn to the right or to the left.

Jesus said in John 5;30, ‘I can of My own self do nothing, as I hear I judge’. Jesus relied heavily on the instructions of The Spirit to escape the plots and plans of the Jews.

In the same way to survive the storm, and escape the traps of the wicked, we need to follow strictly the instructions of the Spirit.

Prov. 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and not to lean on our own understanding.

You cannot afford to trust your senses or rely on men’s advice. Even people who are sincere, can be sincerely wrong. This is why we follow only what God has said.

Because His Word never fails. His counsel will stand forever. He has promised to be with us when we pass through the waters, and  through the fire. He is our way maker and light in the darkness.  He is our beacon of hope as we navigate through the treacherous waters of this world.

Therefore we keep trusting His guidance, even if it seems we can’t trace Him. We trust His  dealings with us, and not in our feelings.

We do not go by what is happening, but rather by what is written. We  keep focused on God’s Word and His promises, knowing He never breaks covenant nor alters what has gone out of His lips. No one who has trusted what God said has ever been let down. And if we cannot seem to see Him at work, it does not mean that He is not actively involved in our lives. He is always there.

And trusting Him means that when we cannot see anything else and do not know which way to go, we must simply follow His Word, and fly by instructions.
PRAYER Lord Please enable me to follow closely the instructions of Scriptures, as I walk through the narrow corridors of this life.  By Your grace, help me always to walk by faith and not by sight. Indeed I have victory and have overcome the world through the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

QUOTE

When you apply The Word of God, it will work for you, anywhere and anytime- WORDBITE 222.

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS]