The Flight Plan
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Destination)
Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you”–/this is/ the LORD’s declaration–“plans for /your/ welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Holman’s Christian Standard Version)
We all have a Divine Destiny. A High and Holy Calling. An Election. We are the Chosen. We have been selected and elected. We are to be God’s Hope and God’s Dream for the Now and Future. Understand that God has His Heart Set on us. He has a Plan and wants us to stick with it to our Destination so we will have Hope and Expectation for every day of our life.
I have been Blessed to hold a Private Pilot’s certificate for more than half a century. I’ve actually lost count of actual hours flown as pilot in command… but it’s a lot. It has required me to fly several diverse types of aircraft… from those you had to hand crank by spinning the prop to complex high-performance planes equipped to fly by instruments only. To attain my license was a dream I had from my boyhood days. It was a challenging goal and a rewarding accomplishment. My experience as a pilot has taught me some important Life Lessons that have some powerful Spiritual Applications. Today, I’d like for us to consider some of them…
In flying, there are stringent FAA air traffic rules to which every pilot must adhere. They are designed for safety in flight and a certainty for a safe arrival at our destination. In life, there are likewise, some stringent rules that, if not adhered to, will result in failure to reach God’s Purpose and Plan… His Expected End for us.
Plotting your course… filing a flight plan
Every successful flight begins with planning and preparation and the careful execution of that plan.
The moment you take off, you begin planning on and expecting your safe landing at your destination.
- When plotting a course, it is always suggested that the pilot in command file a Flight Plan. A Flight Plan is a prescribed course of flight from the point of departure to the destination that is filed. It is normally communicated by phone or radio to air traffic control to insure they know specific details concerning the flight that is planned.
- Filing that plan is recorded and tracked by radar from the time of take off to the time we land. Traffic Control wants to know who you are and where you are going and the prescribed route that will take you there.
- A flight plan provides a great measure of Confidence for the pilot and passengers for safety, a sense of security, and a successful, uneventful, completed flight. Here are some of the specific details of the Flight Plan:
- Aircraft Identification: the “N number” of the plane
- Aircraft Type: what kind of plane it is single or multi engine, land or sea
- Aircraft color
- True Airspeed: The speed you will be flying in route
- Departure Point: The airport from which you are departing
- Exact Departure Time
- Cruising Altitude: How high your intend to fly
- Route of Flight: specific direction including check points and intentions
- Destination: The airport at which you intend to land at the conclusion of the flight
- Hours and minutes in flight: How long (ETA) it will take to get to your destination
- Hours of Fuel on board: fuel burn calculated by how many gallons per hour
- Alternate airports: Places planned to land if weather conditions are not acceptable at the destination
- Number of souls on board
- Pilots Name, address, and home base and type of certificate held
If Air Traffic control is this interested in tracking you safely to your destination (as well as being immediately informed of any problem in flight) … so much MORE must God’s Plan for your LIFE, from inception to conclusion, from take-off to landing… be on HIS DESK and in HIS HAND as you make your Life Journey.
God has a PLAN, a “flight plan” for you
Following this Plan will guarantee a safe and secure life flight that will lead to God’s intended destination. And it will safeguard your welfare and give you Hope and Expectation for a Successful Future.
You will need to get on Course and Stay on course. He has a Plan for you and wants you stay the course so you will have Hope and Expectation for every day of your life.
So what about this Life Flight Plan?
I encourage you to be confident of your skill level and seek to get better at it. Just as a pilot needs to continue to train and practice to make him a better pilot. Your confidence in your Place in God will enhance your safety and security. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit will be your Autopilot and assure you of a safe and successful passage in Life.
Details of the flight are important…
- Focus to Stay on course… all the time. Getting Off course one degree will result in being off course more than ten miles in just a matter of minutes. Don’t get off God’s Course for you.
- In flying, Weather is a major factor. Storms do often get in your flight path. To avoid them is critical. But in an emergency it is comforting to be able to radio ground personnel and get their assistance. So stay in Touch with God. Trust His advice. Listen to His Voice.
- Maintaining altitude is important… it will guarantee your successful flight over any dangerous terrain or obstructions in your flight path. Get on The Step (your cruising altitude) and be sure you stay there. Don’t lose altitude!
- Constant attention to flight conditions is vital. Watch the gauges. Be sure of fuel burn. Check the compass. Look for any anomalies that could be an indication of approaching trouble. Be alert and Be prepared. Always have an emergency landing place in sight. Just in case. In Life… BE READY. Be Prepared. Be Alert to any possible danger.
- The take-off is the most hazardous few minutes of flight. The beginning is always the most dangerous and requires our most diligent attention.
Often when departing on a flight, as we begin our climb to a cruising altitude, we will encounter a low cloud cover. As we continue climbing and enter the clouds, we lose sight of all visible reference points and must trust our flight instruments to continue to stay on course. Then there’s the turbulence. The shaking. The uncomfortable feeling that things just might get out of control. So we must make up our mind to continue to climb. Weare not certain just how “thick” the cloud layer may be but we press on. We add power. We keep the stick pulled back.
Then, suddenly, we break out of our blindness and burst into the brilliance of a Bright Shining Sun and a clear deep blue sky…. With Unlimited Visibility on all quadrants of the compass… and a glorious peace and confidence that all is well…. All because we made up our mind to continue to climb…
This is especially significant for a Flawless Spiritual Take-Off and a Successful Course into the Will of God… for you and your future.
There will be, no doubt, some turbulence and limited visibility on the way to your destination. So my advice to you is
Make up your Mind to Continue to Climb
dickbraswell 
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