Vulnerable

My Belief

A few days ago I got stuck in NY for the evening and I had the chance to really catch up with a good buddy of mine named Johnny. Johnny and I talk all the time but it is usually surface level and just for fun. During this particular evening we got a little deeper and were talking about our personal walk with Jesus. We chatted a lot about how our schedules and the details of our jobs affect us in that walk. We both admitted that there are times when we stumble a good bit and find ourselves vulnerable to all sorts of temptations and sins. Johnny confessed to me that there is a particular group of friends that causes him the most trouble. He said that he always knows that he is not going to act the way Christ would want when he hangs out with these guys. Johnny admits that he is torn because these are “good buddies” that he has known for a long time but he finds himself vulnerable to do things he would not if he was with a different group of friends.

For me it was clear that my vulnerability is fatigue. When I am tired I feel that my guard is down. At the end of a long day or after a bad night of sleep I don’t feel like the same person. I feel that my mind is vulnerable to all the filth that is around me all the time. I feel that my “love” for people is cold. I find it difficult to be patient and deal with people in a manner that people can see Jesus in me. The worst part for me is that when I am rested I genuinely care for people and want to find ways to share Jesus with them. I feel that it is my duty to tell them because the consequences are so dire that they have to know. BUT!!! when I am tired there are times I just don’t care. I feel low in my energy and I am just trying to do my job or get through the rest of the day. Having this conversation with Johnny was good for me because it helped me put my finger on little pieces of this problem that were already floating around in my head. Now that I have classified it and labeled it, I am committed to praying that the Holy Spirit will help me confront this sin in my life.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:9 ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Ephesians 6:10-11 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Application for Life

Recognizing the problem is always the first step! Johnny and I both see a new point of vulnerability in our lives and we both know what we need to do to conform this area to the WILL of God. We have to pray and ask the Lord to help us in our times of weakness. I am going to do my best to keep myself from the fatigued mindset that causes me to stumble. I am going to ask God to fill me with His Spirit so He will give me strength in my times of weakness. I feel the Lord has put me where I am to serve him and I don’t want to blow it because of my own human weakness. In His Word I am told over and over again to rely on Him for strength instead of in my own ability. Now that I recognize a new aspect of my own vulnerability I will rely on the Holy Spirit in me to show the power of God in my weakness. Only in this way will I be able to defend against Satan’s fiery arrows.

Christ on the Flight Deck

My belief

Most people have no idea what I do on the flight deck. They just see a maze of buttons, lights and two guys in military style uniforms manipulating all the switches that cover everything. They take their seat and trust that it all works! The majority of people will never understand how the aerodynamics work in conjunction with the complex hydraulic, fuel, and propulsion systems. And how a man can strap himself to the front of it and manipulate it all with simple body movements. They just TRUST that it WORKS.

In the same way I DO NOT UNDERSTAND what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. Sure I know what it says in the Bible and I believe it. I know that He died for my sins and it is by that grace that I am saved from the wrath of God. But think about it! This is just as surface level as knowing that the airplane leaves one city and lands in another. I will never really know what he did on that cross. I will never understand what it meant for him to be separated from God the Father or to become sin for me. I will not understand the spiritual agony of taking all the sin of the world onto Himself. What was He really doing for that 3 days that He spent before He conquered death. In the same way the passengers takes a seat without knowing what is happening, I TRUST Jesus when he said, “it is finished”. I only have a surface level knowledge of his pain, but I TRUST that he has paid for my ticket to eternal life with Him.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:21 ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Application for Life.

It blows me away that somehow Jesus took all the sins that I have ever done or will ever do upon himself. That seems like a TON in itself but then multiply that by everyone who has ever lived or will ever live and it becomes to much to ever comprehend. I don’t really know what insurmountable victory that He has won but I just have to TRUST that it WORKS! With this in the front of my mind I will continue to try to live my life for Jesus and look forward to that hope of a new life with Him one day .

 

Trend Vectors

My Belief

On the flight deck we have several instruments that provide what is know as “trend vectors”. No matter if this trend vector is associated with airspeed, altitude, or heading, its purpose remains the same. It simply tells the pilot where he will be, very soon. It does this by computing where the aircraft is, and where it has been, to come up with where it will be, very soon. This is extremely valuable information for the pilot of any aircraft, and it is very similar to how I view the world as a Christian.

I am often amazed at how many people I talk to that are oblivious to their surroundings and where we have been in recent history. I hear things all the time like, "this is America, that doesn't happen here, or it has just always been that way". A lot of people live only in the moment and consider it crazy to think the world will ever be drastically changed. Let me just give a few examples of these “CRAZY” things that will never happen...

• 100 years ago it would be crazy to think America would become the worlds dominant superpower.
• 90 years ago it would be crazy to think you could travel around the world in less than 24 hours.
• 80 years ago it would be crazy to think everyone would carry a cell phone with the world at your finger tips.
• 70 years ago it would be crazy to think the nation of Israel would be back in existence in the land of Palestine.
• 60 years ago it would be crazy to think everyone would see everything in the world instantly as it happens via the internet and the 24hr news cycle.
• 50 years ago it would be crazy to think all the dictators who took over the middle east(Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and more) would be falling apart all at the same time.
• 40 years ago it would be crazy to think Islam would become such a powerful force in Europe and the middle east.
• 30 years ago it would be crazy to think Jewish people would be coming to Christ and and there would be a strong movement to build the 3rd Jewish Temple.
• 20 years ago it would be crazy to think we would have been fighting off Muslim extremist inside our own boarders. Example: 9/11 major Husain, underwear bomber, shoe bomber, liquid attacks, etc.
• 10 years ago it would be crazy to think an American president would have campaigned in Europe as a citizen of the world with the stated goal of a global world order.
  

While these are all crazy and ridiculous ideas they are indeed FACTS! The Amazing thing about them all is our trend vector indicator, THE BIBLE, has predicted them all for more than 2000 years. As Christians this is extremely valuable information. It provides credibility for our Instrument and tells us where we will be, very soon!

Scripture

Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Application for life.

The Bible has been giving us accurate trend vector information for more than 2000 years and it continues to do so today. As we get closer to the return of Christ we must prepare ourselves for more and more of the "birth pains" that Jesus spoke of. Prepare for more natural disasters, like Japan. Prepare for more false doctrine and compromising of truth, like our failing churches. Prepare for a global world with power shifting to the middle east. Be aware and watch for the next world superpower that will gain control as America continues to collapse. Don't be fooled when a global figure soon appears with the answers to all of the worlds problems. The trend vector coming from the Bible is telling all faithful followers of Jesus to get ready because of what is coming very soon. A terrible tribulation will soon befall the world, followed immediately by a literal earthly kingdom ruled personally by King Jesus. Are you paying attention to the Trend Indicator?

Looking Backwards

My Belief

Do you ever have those moments where you think to yourself, “If only I had (fill in the blank)”? I do! Personally I see the world around me and catch myself thinking this about all sorts of things. For example: If only I had done an internship while I was in college, then my airline life would be so much easier today. If only I had really thought the housing collapse was coming, then I would not have made that poor investment. If only I had seen the difficulties in my family life, then I would have made preparations for them. All of this stuff is looking backwards and wishing I could have done it differently in order to make today a much better world for myself. That old saying of “hindsight is 20/20” is so true.

Isn't this exactly what Jesus and Paul warned us about though? Of course they were not focused on our life here. They were talking about our future lives that will start very soon and last forever. Any of us could “check out” of this life at anytime very soon. Many of us WILL! You could die from anything at a moments notice, and the very moment you do everyone of us will be immediately standing in front of the Lord Jesus. The first thing He will do is determine if you are one of His sheep or not, and if you are then the next thing he will do is ask you what you did with the time you were given. This scares me to death! Think about it! How awful would it be to stand in front of Jesus that died for me and say, “ya, about that… I really didn’t get around to doing that much for you, even though you died for me”. I am sure at this point Jesus will love and embrace me, but I will suffer loss of reward! Talk about a   bad investment choice! How many of us on that day will be looking backward thinking of all the heavenly riches we will never have. How many of us will say if I had just been a better husband, father, wife, or mother. If I had just used my crappy paper money to glorify God, If had just shared Jesus with more people, If I had just spent more time in the Word. I will have a pile of sin to answer for in heaven, but what will hurt the most is if I hurt Jesus because I did not do what he asked me to.

Scripture

1 Cor 3:14-15

¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Application for Life

I SIN A LOT! There are plenty of times in my life that Jesus is not proud of what I am doing. This is always on the front of my mind and sometimes it nearly brings me to tears. I don’t want to waste the time I have been given. I want to live the life that Jesus asked me to and put Him first over everything. I continually pray that I will be a better father and husband. I am continually searching for ways that I can change my budget in ways to show God He is first. I am always looking for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone who does not know or help a fellow brother in Christ know more. My earthly performance has NOTHING to do with getting me into heaven, but it has everything to do with the sort of reception I get when I arrive. When I get there I hope and pray I am not looking backward, but instead EXTATIC to hear the Lord Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant”. 

Public Enemy #1: Jesus

My Belief

I just recently finished a trip with a First Officer of Middle Eastern descent. He is a very arrogant man that is loud and set in his beliefs. At first I thought he was Muslim but later he explained that he is more of a cross between Atheistic and Zoroastrianism.  He explained to me that his country was taken over by Islam in 1979 and as a a result he has a deep hatred for God and religion. He explains to me that religion is stupid and anyone who believes there is a God is a fool. His view is that a person must use logic and common sense to live life. The thing that struck me was how angry he got when talking about faith based issues. One of his comments was, “I’m good, on my death bed I will just pray to Allah, Jesus, and Buddha on the way out so I will have all of my bases covered.” Bill Maher is who he claims as an example of how people should think.  He then went on to say how ridiculous it is to think that Jesus is the son of God. He got on a “soap box” tangent about how can God have kids and where are the rest of his kids…

At times like these I sort of feel like Peter. I’m not sure that is a good thing either. I’m not one to back down from confrontation. I would probably be the idiot that was dumb enough to call Mike Tyson a sissy if you know what I mean. So, I sort of squared up with this guy and gave him my whole spiel on faith. How everything in the world points to God if you just care to look for it. I also told him that he has more faith than I do because I have evidence to base my belief on and all he has is a big arrogant attitude problem. I turned his words around on him and told him, if your so logical than what evidence do you have to prove the Bible is wrong. He had nothing! I then told him perhaps you should do your homework before you shoot your mouth off. I didn’t say any of this in an angry tone of voice either. Everything was completely matter of fact. I told him that I don’t hate him for disrespecting my belief and that actually I would love to be his friend. He was not so into it. He thought I was dumb for putting my faith in Jesus and more or less let me know so. We would chat on and off for the rest of the trip, but I could tell he didn’t like me. I could see an air of superiority in him. He thought I was part of the religious Jesus freak nut jobs that were ruining the country in his opinion. As we parted ways I prayed the Holy Spirit would soften his heart and I thought of how one day soon Christians will be openly hated just like this all over the world.

Scripture

John 15:18-20  

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰

Application for life

Even though he was not found of me, I tried to be a friend to him. Jesus called us to love our enemies. This is how we can shine light in a dark world. He thinks I am in a dream world where Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny are real. Well neither of those are, but Jesus most certainly is. Soon every eye will see Him and ever knee will bow and those of us that have followed Him will be given the life we have hoped for. I can see the world turning against the cross more and more every day and it is my prayer that God will give me the strength to stand firm for Christ when ever the opportunity presents itself.

   

Jesus Junky

My Belief

I had a hard week this week. It was a tiring long week of flying, but that was not the worst part. The hard part was I felt like I kept “tripping” in my walk with the Lord. I flew with a pretty “rugged” crew this last week. They are hard drinkers that love to play with the ladies. They have no interest in Jesus, but know how much I do. Even so, I felt bombarded with profanity and the discontent that comes with living a life for yourself. Both my First Officer and Flight Attendant are firmly rooted in their evil sinful lives. I could see plainly how it destroys all of their joy and relationships, leaving them unsatisfied in life. They hate their work, they don’t have enough money, they want more and new girlfriends, everybody is in their way, and everybody pretty much sucks to them.

A couple days into this trip I started noticing my own joy had started to fade. I did not allow myself to be pulled into their trashy conversations but I had gotten involved in some of the other complaining. I had allowed myself to start getting upset about the economy, our work rules, and some of our rude passengers. It crept in suddenly and then started to grow. I found my own happiness was a little dimmer than it had been before. Toward the end of the trip I sat in the shower to pray and felt empty. I felt like a junky that had not had any narcotics for days. I needed my Jesus! I needed to feel the joy that comes from meditating on the Lord and His promises to me. Nothing this life has to offer can satisfy my addiction to Jesus and when I don’t walk with him daily I feel like I am going through withdrawals. I feel like all my happiness is gone and I am trapped in an ugly world with no hope. I am a Junky for the AWESOME, POWERFUL, SAVING HOPE that is JESUS CHRIST.

Thankfully God heard my prayers for forgiveness and restored part of that joy to me on the last day. I had NO chance to share Jesus with my First Officer, but my Flight attendant listened to me for a little while after he had been drinking. He opened up and shared his brokenness in life with me. He did not embrace the solution of Jesus that I was telling him about, but at least he heard it. My prayer is that he will continue to recognize his need to become a “Junky for Jesus” just like me.

 

Scripture

John 17:15-18 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by^[d] the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world

Application for Life

This world is hard and evil. It is like destructive ivy with tentacles going everywhere. We must live by means of the Holy Spirit ALL of the time in order not to get snared by these vines. It is important to stay in the WORD and put on the full armor of God so that we don’t become victims ourselves. I fully believe we need to be armed to the teeth with what God has given us and then jump right into the trenches. With this boldness God will free others who have been tangled up for years. It is important to remember where we are though. We have to remember we are in the world but not of the world.

 

Spiritual P90X

My Belief

I love P90X! It is an awesome total body workout that is always “Changing”. It consists of 12-15 different workouts that you do in different orders. The idea is that by always changing your routine you will confuse your muscles. Confused muscles work harder because they never get into a routine. They can never get into a rut because they don’t know what is coming next. There are studies that show that people that do the same workout all the time do not benefit that much because their progress levels off. Also, when you do the same thing all the time your heart is really not in it. You are just doing the same old lifts and squats over and over again. I’m telling you all of this because I feel that my prayer life is the same way.

I CAN’T pray for the same thing everyday! I have so many things that I want to talk to God about. I want to pray for my family and for my own issues. I want to pray for all the lost people that I have had the opportunity to share my trust in Jesus with. I pray for my church, my pastor and ministries that I am involved in. I pray for friends and small groups and on and on and on… When I try to pray for all of these things in a single day it becomes routine. I feel like it becomes something I don’t mean. Sure I am sincere for a few weeks or maybe even a month, but after that I feel like I am just telling God the same “mind numbing” thing I told Him yesterday. Quite a while ago I STOPED doing this! I started breaking up my prayer life. I started using Sundays to talk to God about lost people, Monday has become my own issues, Tuesday is for my church, Wednesday I pray for friends, Thursday is for small group, Friday is for family, and Saturday is for specific needs. My prayer life has become a changing process that is never the same old mantra to the Lord. Now I feel that I can come to the Lord with that thing that weighs heavy on my heart that particular day. It has become a system where I can get real results and see positive change as the Lord works on me in prayer.

Scripture

Jeremiah 33:3 ³ ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

Application for life

It does not matter how you pray it just matters that you DO pray. God wants us to come to him with all of our issues. The big ones and the small ones. The thing that has always separated powerful men and women of God from all the rest is their dedication to bring everything to the Lord in prayer. By praying to God we are telling Him that we are trusting Him with everything that we are. I recently heard an interview with Billy Graham where he was asked what he would have done differently in his life and his response was simply, “I would have spent way more time in prayer”.