In the early years of my flying experiences, I purchased 1947 Stinson 108-3 “flying station wagon.” It was seemingly in fair condition due to engine time and age, so this became the first four-place aircraft we owned. It was located and tied down on the east side ramp, at the Mobile Regional Airport.
Since we are in Hurricane Alley, one was headed our way surging north from the Gulf of Mexico. Without the Stinson being safely hangered, it was in grave danger of being destroyed if left on the East Side Ramp at Mobile airport. In order to safeguard it I ferried it to the Hattiesburg airport for safekeeping.
When the storm passed, I picked up the Stinson from Hattiesburg and began a relatively short flight back to Mobile. Since the weather was really great, I decided to fly directly south from Hattiesburg, intersect the Gulf Coast and then head east to Mobile. The flight was wonderful… at 3000 feet and CAVU weather with bright sunshine.
As I turned back east from Gulfport and flew NE to Mobile and was approximately 12-15 miles SE of the Mobile airport, there was an abrupt jolt as the 165 hp engine threw a rod and exploded out the side of the crankcase. Engine oil immediately spread over the windshield and the only good visibility was to look out the door window. Total engine failure. Now it was dead-stick flying and engine-out procedure to land and land very shortly.
Trying desperately to remember my emergency landing check list and procedure, my first priority, besides flying an engine-out airplane, was to locate an appropriate and safe landing location. It just so happened I was about 3000 feet directly over a grass landing strip, often used for military training, at Saint Elmo, Alabama. I had more than enough altitude to execute an approach and safe dead-stick landing. When the old Stinson came to a stop, I opened the door, got out, laid down on my face and kissed the ground. A farmer nearby was plowing his field and witnessed the whole scenario.
From the hearts of fifty-two framers of the Constitution, flowed the documents and structures which formed the foundations for this great nation: The United States of America.
“Of all the writings of the founders of our country, 94 percent either directly or indirectly cited the Bible.
In September 1774, the First Continental Congress opened its initial session with prayer. Psalm 35 was read aloud: “My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation… awake and rise to my defense! Contend for me my God and Lord…”
George Washington often spent hours in prayer without interruption. In his prayer book, he wrote: “Direct my thoughts, words, and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit… Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ…”
In his dying words, Alexander Hamilton, signer of the Constitution, spoke of his faith in Jesus Christ. “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy.”
Samuel Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, declared: “First of all, I resign my soul to the Almighty Being who gave it… relying on the merits of Jesus Christ for the pardon of my sins…”
81 year-old Benjamin Franklin speaking at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 said: “I have lived long, Sir, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable than an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without this concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
Where did these Men Come From? What gave rise to such character and such confidence and such faith in God? How did these men and women develop into such Champions of Liberty and Democracy? I tell you, they came from Christian, Bible-believing, God-honoring, morally pure families.
Have you ever been in a place where you honestly confessed that you did not know what to do?
The first temptation is the temptation to try to fix it ourselves. Plans. Procedures. Steps to take. People to see. We want to “fix things.” We want to “fix” people.
Instead of throwing our cares and worries and tribulations on Jesus, we think we can fix it ourselves. We try. And it does not work. We try something else, and it does not work either. We reason. We consider the problem. We analyze it, examine it, look at it from every angle and try again. Another failure.
Finally, we remember God. And seek God. And ask God. Turn to God and confess that without His intervention, all our human and natural efforts will not produce any answers or solve any problems.
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 2Chron 20:12
The King’s army was outnumbered (2 Chron 20). He was defenseless against such overwhelming odds. He had no escape route…. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to seek refuge. He was in line for defeat. Humiliation. And death.
He had exhausted all his resources. Nothing he had and nothing he could do would be able to deliver him and his nation from total disaster and defeat. He finally confessed: “I don’t know what to do. But my eyes are on You, Lord….”
There are some attempts at victory that you need to “give up.” Because they are your plans, your ideas, your efforts and they are done in your strength.
I remember praying one time: “Lord, I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything I know to try. I don’t have any resources left. I give up.” In my fit of self-pity and false humility, God responded to my heart: “Good! Now that you are through with it, I can do something about it!”
And He did.
Giving up on your efforts does not mean giving in to the devil. It simply means changing your “trying” into “trusting” and then leaving it all to God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:23
Do mountains have ears? Of course not. But Jesus commands us to talk to them anyway. Do you mean we are supposed to talk to mountains? If we have one or some YES. It is important that we talk right. It is important that we say the right things. It is important that we get our tongue in line with the Word of God and that we make our tongue and our lips say what God says.
We are not to look at or consider our circumstances, or talk about our circumstances, or meditate on our circumstances, us are supposed to talk to them in Jesus Name and tell them where and when to go.
Many people never get their situation or circumstances changed because they are always praying and begging God to change it for them. When, the truth of the matter is, God has already told us to talk to it and change it ourselves. Do we have a tongue? Do we know how to use it? Can we speak words? Can we say things? Death and life are in the power of our tongue. When we begin confessing with our mouth and talking to our situation, we will begin to change it by the power of our spoken word as we speak the Word in Faith.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Pro 18:21
You will have what you create with words you speak
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners… Heb 12:1-3
The Christian Walk is compared to an athletic race. The crowds are present. The course is before us. We are running. We must win. We are pursuing the Gold. Not the silver or the bronze. Second place will not do. The success of our calling is at stake and nothing short of first place will do. We must win!
There are obstacles and hindrances on the track. There are many opportunities to fail and not finish our course. To give in to fatigue or weariness or weakness will cause our opponent to get ahead. It will make us lose the race. But we must win!
Every Believer is in this race. You will run or you will give up. You will win or you will lose. Every believer is on the track… and so is our opponent.
There is a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. They are watching and they are cheering. They have gone before us and they are winners. They know what is before us and they know that we can win. They are in heaven’s grand stand and they are rooting for us. They watch and they observe… Our victory is important to them.
We are to lay aside hindrances or weights that will keep us from doing our best. The runners must strip off the outer garments and lighten their load so they can use all their energy in running the race.
We are to run and we are to run with patience. (With Patience running alongside of us!) Patience means we know we will win regardless of how the race appears because God is with us.
We are to look to Jesus as we run. He is the goal and the finish line. He is the victor’s circle. We stay ahead and we win as long as we look to him.
We are to consider him (and what He endured) when we get tired and weary and are tempted to give up and quit.
But they that wait (look for, hope, expect) upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isa 40:31
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners… Heb 12:1-3
The Christian Walk is compared to an athletic race. The crowds are present. The course is before us. We are running. We must win. We are pursuing the Gold. Not the silver or the bronze. Second place will not do. The success of our calling is at stake and nothing short of first place will do. We must win!
There are obstacles and hindrances on the track. There are many opportunities to fail and not finish our course. To give in to fatigue or weariness or weakness will cause our opponent to get ahead. It will make us lose the race. But we must win!
Every Believer is in this race. You will run or you will give up. You will win or you will lose. Every believer is on the track… and so is our opponent.
There is a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. They are watching and they are cheering. They have gone before us and they are winners. They know what is before us and they know that we can win. They are in heaven’s grand stand and they are rooting for us. They watch and they observe… Our victory is important to them.
We are to lay aside hindrances or weights that will keep us from doing our best. The runners must strip off the outer garments and lighten their load so they can use all their energy in running the race.
We are to run and we are to run with patience. (With Patience running alongside of us!) Patience means we know we will win regardless of how the race appears because God is with us.
We are to look to Jesus as we run. He is the goal and the finish line. He is the victor’s circle. We stay ahead and we win as long as we look to him.
We are to consider him (and what He endured) when we get tired and weary and are tempted to give up and quit.
But they that wait (look for, hope, expect) upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isa 40:31
for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it (faith) is the gift of God… Eph 2:8.
Faith is a Gift.
Faith is a Gift from God given to you. Faith is the ability to really believe God. It is revelation. It is in the heart. It is in the innermost part of our being. It is resolve. It is dependence. It is confidence. It is relying on. It is trusting. It is seeing the invisible. It is holding the intangible. It is reaching out into nothing and holding on until nothing becomes something. It is asurance. It is a certainty. It is REAL.
Faith is developed by hearing the Word.
Faith cometh (grows) by hearing and hearing by the Word of God… Rom 10:17.
Faith is developed by being around faith. A “faith osmosis” happens by being in a Faith Church surrounded by Faith People. Like begets like. Praise, worship, rejoicing, singing… engaging in True Worship, these will develop faith.
Faith is also developed by the anointed preaching of the Word of God. Even by reading these words, your faith is being built up. I believe you will be stronger after you read this than you were before you read it.
Faith is developed by doing the Word.
Faith is developed by saying the Word.
Faith is developed by and through Love.
Faith is developed by making right decisions.
Faith is developed by remembering past victories.
Faith is developed by “keeping the flesh under.” 1Co 9:27
Faith is developed through intimacy with God.
What you do with your faith determines what your faith will do for you
Jesus died so that we could have God’s best… so that we could have Life and have it more abundantly. God does not want us lacking in any good thing. God wants us to have His best in everything, every day and in every way.
Do we want His best? Can we come into agreement with another believer for God’s best to be ours? Listen to what Jesus said:
Again I say unto us, That if two of us shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Mt 18:19
Let’s just agree with God and get this promise working. Will you agree with me? Will you agree with me NOW? Remember, it is a lot easier to talk about how bad it is and how hard it is and how impossible it is than it is to confess with our mouth what God says regardless of what we see or feel.
God says things can be changed. God says that things can get better. God says that our circumstances can be overcome. God says that our situations can be brought in line with His Word and in agreement with His Will. God wants us to rearrange our vocabulary and change our thinking. He wants us to get rid of all the negative stuff and begin to accentuate the positives. God is a YES God. The Word declares:
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen… 2Co 1:20
If you are Born Again, God has made an awesome investment in you.
God has confidence in you. God believes in you. God’s Miracle Power is in you. All of heaven’s power is in you. You have the potential to change the world. Nothing is too hard for God and God lives in YOU.
The Bible says that with God all things are possible. Paul wrote that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…” The Word declares that if
You can believe (have the God-kind of faith) all things are possible to him that believeth… (Mark 9).
When you got saved, God made a Divine Deposit in you. Your body became the Temple of the Holy Ghost. You are no longer your own because you were “bought with a price…”
We are to glorify God with our bodies. We are Born Again to release the Power of God into the earth.
People are becoming more and more aware of their need for God. As politics fail, as economics fail, as education fails, as religion fails, our need for a viable and real and powerful connection with God is more and more apparent.
God is calling us to be channels of His Power in the earth. We are the restraining force holding back all the relentless powers of darkness that are poised to overthrow every kingdom and nation.
Why is it that atrocities such as those that are presently happening in parts of our world are not happening here in America? Because we are called to be the platform from which God will release His Power into the earth and throughout the earth. With all our shortfalls and shortcomings, this nation is still the One Nation on this planet that God has sovereignly raised up to launch His Power into the Human Race.
Some “Mysteries” of the Book of Revelation Unveiled:
Revelation Chapter Six:
The Breaking of the Seals…. In John’s vision while exiled on the Island of Patmos. He sees the Resurrected Jesus take a seven-sealed scroll from the Hand of God who is sitting on His Thone in heaven. No one in heaven but JESUS is worthy to open or break these seals to reveal the contents thereof. As each seal is broken, prophetic catastrophic events occur on earth.
The FIRST SEAL: As this seal is broken, John sees a White Horse whose rider has a Bow and a Crown. And he goes forth to conquer… The rider is the anti-christ.
The SECOND SEAL: When this seal is broken, John sees a Red Horse whose rider possessed a Sword and has the power to take peace away from the earth. The result will be War that witnesses multitudes being slain… a war instigated by anti-christ.
The THIRD SEAL: Now John sees a Black horse whose rider holds a balance in hand…. Symbolic of a great famine and unbelievable inflation that causes the price of food to be beyond reach… multitudes will perish by starvation.
The FOURTH SEAL: When this seal is broken, John sees a Pale horse whose rider is named Death and Hell. He has authority and power over one-fourth of the earth’s population to murder them with weapons and to cause them to die for lack of food…. Starvation.
The FIFTH SEAL: As this seal is broken, John sees a multitude of martyrs who died because of their testimonies. They are crying out for revenge on those who murdered them. They are given White Robes and informed to wait “a little season” until their deaths will be avenged.
The SIXTH SEAL: In this seal, John sees the unbridled Wrath of God revealed. It continues through the Tribulation and ends with the Battle of Armageddon. During this time, there will be great earthquakes, The darkening of the sun and the fading of the moon. Stars will fall on earth; the heavens will open, and every mountain and every island will be moved from their place. Great men of the earth, the rich, the chief captains, the mighty men, and all others will hide from God’s Wrath in the rocks, caves, and mountains. They will cry out for death as they face the Great Day of God’s Wrath.
This is the Prophetic Word given to John and It has been passed down to us.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psa 150:6
Praise God for the answer before your answer comes. Your sight and your feelings are subordinate to the Word of God. As far as God is concerned, you already have what you believed for. He has already given you all things that pertain to life and godliness…
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2Pe 1:3
What situation or circumstance would you like to see changed more than everything else? What one thing have you been believing for over everything else? What is the greatest desire of your heart at this very moment? What drives you and is the focus of your passion? What is that one thing? The One Thing that is presently the heart of your praying? That One Thing that rises above all other situations you would like to see happen?
What if God visibly walked right into your presence now… at this moment… and with loving grace and mercy actually presented you with that One Thing you have so longed for? Here it is. What you have prayed and believed for. This is it. It is yours. You now have in fact what you have believed for in faith.
What would your response be? Would it be “ho hum…” “Well, so what?” Would you turn away and be passive and unappreciative? Would you be thankless and ungrateful? Just what would you do? How would you act? What would your reaction be if you actually got that One Thing that had been the focus of your believing for many years? Would you shout? Would you praise God? Would you leap for joy? Would you run around the room? Would you whoop and holler and dance and rejoice? Is that what you would do? I believe you would be uninhibited and unashamed to praise God and rejoice… demonstratively.
dickbraswell 
