Walking by Faith                                                                 by Babbie Mason

Even though I have no desire to fly an airplane, the flying process has
always intrigued me. I had a hunch that flying an airplane was very much
like walking by faith. A conversation with Eric, an airline pilot who
just retired from flying commercial and military airplanes for more than
30 years, convinced me that I was right.
Eric describes the experience of flying an aircraft this way: "There is
great potential for your body and your emotions to play tricks on you.
They may actually lie to you, sending information to your brain that is
not true.
"While flying in fog or bad weather when visibility is poor, it is
possible for your body to experience a sense of unsteadiness. This
condition is called 'vertigo' or 'spatial disorientation.' This happens
when a malfunction in the inner ear occurs, leaving a pilot in a state
of confusion. In laymen's terms, this means you think you know which end
is up-but you're wrong. In some cases, your body will tell you that you
are flying right side up, when in actuality you could be flying upside
down!"
Eric said that airline pilots are trained repeatedly not to listen to
their bodies or rely on their emotions. They are trained to trust, to
put complete faith in the aircraft's instrument panel. The information
on the instrument panel will tell them how to fly the airplane safely.
For pilots, Rule No. 1 is: "Trust the instruments." Eric told me that a
pilot must spend countless hours in training before he ever enters a
real aircraft. He must commit himself to hours of rigorous preparation,
where he will learn how every instrument inside the aircraft's cockpit
functions before he ever leaves the ground. In a controlled environment,
he will fly under a variety of circumstances. If he desires to be a good
pilot, he must study and learn how to operate an aircraft under all
possible conditions. Rule No. 2 is: "Study the manual."
Air Traffic Control is watching the craft at all times on a
sophisticated screen and giving the pilot critical information and
instructions regarding the takeoff, cruising and landing of the
aircraft. A pilot may be requested to make an increase or decrease in
airspeed, change altitude or observe other instructions. It is
imperative that the pilot comply with these requests, or he puts the
safety of not only himself and his passengers but also the passengers on
other aircraft at risk. Rule No. 3: "Obey the commands from Air Traffic
Control."
In addition to having been a pilot, Eric is a Sunday school teacher in
his home church. He gave me one of the finest lessons I've ever been
taught when he made clear the analogy of the pilot and the believer. He
asked me, "When life gets tough and you find yourself in a personal fog,
will you be led by your emotions to fly by the seat of your pants, or
will you trust the facts?" Trusting the facts of our faith-not our
emotions or our circumstances--is what it really means to "walk by
faith, not by sight."
Eric asked me if I make it a habit to study the manual-the Bible-and
exercise what it has taught me. No one in his right mind would try to
fly an airplane without first reading the manual. Then why do so many of
us try to live life without reading God's instruction manual? We need
training, purpose and direction. We need someone to lead us along to
help us discover truth and apply it to our lives. We must lean on the
Lord to help us read and understand God's Word, His instruction manual
for life.
Eric drove home my personal lesson concerning faith with this last
point. He reminded me that we must always listen for instruction from
the Holy Spirit, the believer's Air Traffic Controller. The Holy Spirit
watches how we live at all times and gives us daily guidance on each
direction we should take. Developing a keen ear that is bent toward His
instruction will afford us many rewarding moments on our journeys of
faith and allow us to reach our destinations. The bottom line of faith
is summed up in simple terms. Believe it before you see it. Faith is
your positive response to what God has said. When a heart is full of
faith, it will always do what it takes to dispel doubt and fear.
You have to go with what you know, not what you feel. Faith comes by
hearing the Word of God. So, the more you hear, the more you know. Your
faith and God's Word go hand in hand. That means if you allow the enemy
to choke out God's promises, your faith will begin to dry up with it.
When that happens, you are sure to falter in your walk. To prevent this,
you must starve your doubts by feeding your faith a steady diet of the
Word of God. Keep your eyes on Jesus and your ears tuned to His Word.
Then you can speak faith to the issues in your life, sing praises to God
in the face of your enemies and walk on top of the deep waters of doubt!
Adapted from "FaithLift" by Babbie Mason, copyright 2003. Published by
Charisma House. If you are struggling with doubt in any area of your
life, you need a "faith lift." Let Babbie Mason help you achieve a new
level of hope. Order a copy of her newest book by clicking here:
http://cbw.strang.com/c.cgi?ProdID=9606&Source=SWSPON PRAYER POWER
Week of 2-17-03
This week, as you walk by faith, trust God's Word, and rely on the Holy
Spirit's guidance rather than your circumstances, pray for the peace of
Jerusalem and all of the Middle East. Ask God to give our president and
other government leaders godly wisdom as they make difficult choices.
Pray for the military and their families, as well as the persecuted
church. Psalm 91; I Tim.2:1-8; Rom. 10:1

submitted byAudrey James