Spiritual Growth - Achieving New Heights in Spiritual
Maturity
by
Jonas Clark
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 P.O.H. 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).
SPIRITUAL MATURITY STARTUP CHECKLIST
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!
OVERCOMING LIFE EMERGENCIES
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.
TOOLS FOR VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING
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.
HOW FAITH OPERATES
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.
GRACE OF GOD IS VISIBLE
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.
Success in Business, Financial Stability and Spiritual Authority -
Soar higher with truths and strategies in this kit.
MARKETPLACE MINISTRY DOMINION KIT
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.
MAKING RIGHT SPIRITUAL CHOICES
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).
HANDLING SPIRITUAL EMERGENCIES
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.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH THROUGH MISTAKES
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..
© by Jonas Clark
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