My brother is a captain with Delta and flies to Amsterdam several times a month. On the map, the route from Detroit to Amsterdam is a straight line. So to me, logically he should be able to get in the airplane, take off, set his heading and just drink coffee until he gets there.
But when I shared my logic with him, he laughed at me (something he spends way too much time doing). When I asked him what was funny, he said: “Things simply don’t work that way. I spend most of my time making course corrections.”
He explained: “Things are never as they seem to be. Even getting the very best information ahead of time is not enough. Conditions change. Circumstances arise. If I set an initial heading but don’t pay close attention to what is happening, I will never reach my destination.”
There are many factors that can take a plane off course. Wind changes in direction and intensity. Storms pop up. Volcanoes spew ash (although not very often thankfully). Sometimes the course change is only a few degrees. But in the long haul, a few degrees can be huge. Simply put, the situations are rarely like you thought they would be when you take off.
This applies to our lives as well. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” In other words, we make plans, but the Lord makes course corrections. Too often, we have a very limited mindset as to the role of the Holy Spirit. We hear that He came to convict us of sin. True, but only part of the truth. The rest of that verse says “and of righteousness” (John 16:8).
When Jesus left this Earth, our Father gave us the Holy Spirit. Sadly, we view the Holy Spirit as God’s voice to tell us all the things we did wrong. He does reveal to us our sins, but even more important is that the Holy Spirit guides us in righteousness—right living, right thinking. He helps us make the right decisions.
Your heavenly Father wants you to succeed. He wants you to live in joy and in peace. He desires for your path to be straight. He wants you to reach your destination, which is a life of faith, trust and purity. The Holy Spirit is the one who will guide us correctly. He softly whispers, “Turn this way. Go that way.” He makes course corrections.
As you journey this week in your Christ walk, pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Commit right now to listen for His course corrections. Don’t wait until life is a mess and things are out of control to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. Quite often a very small course correction will avert and prevent tragedy.
And remember that God is for you. He is not keeping score. If you are off track, even if you are way off course, He is a loving Father waiting patiently with open arms. He lovingly desires to help you adjust your direction and get back on track. Maybe you haven’t been “flying” in a straight line and you can’t even see to tomorrow. Stop and listen for His voice. He is speaking. Heed His course corrections and you will reach your destination. {eoa}
Prayer Power for the Week of Aug. 28, 2016
This week, thank the Lord that His Holy Spirit is directing your steps and making course corrections in your life. Pray that your sensitivity to His leading would be fine tuned so that you will remain on the right path. Ask Him to connect you with others of like mind and faith that you may work together to serve Him and expand His kingdom. Continue to pray for the upcoming elections, for revival to flood our nation and for Israel to fulfill God’s purpose during these times. Remember those in authority who make decisions affecting our nation and the world. Pray for the protection of our cities, borders and shorelines, as well as for those who have suffered losses due to natural disasters, terrorism, war and crime (Prov. 16:9; John 16:8).
