loolalooh
Well-Known Member
True story. So I arrive at the airport to discover that my flight has been delayed from 5:40pm until 6:30pm. It's about 3pm and I go to the gate counter to ask if I can get on another flight. The ticket agent tells me that there are no other flights. So I walk away disappointed. (An emotion from the flesh.) Then I decide to look up the flights for myself. (Initiating a plan without getting God's stamp of approval.) I go online and discover that there is a 4:50pm flight with one stop, so back to the gate counter I go. I ask the ticket agent about the 4:50pm flight, he confirms that it exists, I ask if I can board that flight, he tells me no because the few seats that are available are saved for passengers who miss their connections. I say okay and walk away disappointed. (An emotion rising from the flesh again.) At this point the flight has been delayed another half hour until 7pm. So then I speak to God, inform Him of my disappointment, and then He gives me peace. I am now unfazed by the delay and decide to listen to Gospel music until my flight boards. (When you've accepted God's plan is when the enemy comes to disrupt your acceptance.) But then a voice tells me "not so fast ... your name may be called soon". Huh? So I wait. Within a few minutes, the ticket agent is calling my name to come get a ticket for the earlier 4:50pm flight. I'm ecstatic. (The flesh is satisfied.)
So I board the 4:50pm flight. As we're taxi-ing for takeoff, I hear the plane go over a bump. It was loud enough for all to hear but didn't really phase anyone since the plane continued into takeoff. As we're flying higher into the air, I feel an unrest to the point where I imagine the plane crashing. (The Holy Spirit is speaking.) Immediately, I pray to God for protection during the flight. Within a few minutes, the captain announces that something is wrong with the plane and we will be heading back to the gate.
Fast forward to 6:30pm when we have an emergency landing and are briefed on how to "brace for impact". We finally return to the gate and safely. (The Holy Spirit intervened.) When we eventually get off the plane, the original ticket agent calls my name to hand me my original 5:40pm ticket. He tells me "see, I told you to wait". (Hearing God's voice.) There was no point in going on that earlier flight.
What is the moral of the story?
So I board the 4:50pm flight. As we're taxi-ing for takeoff, I hear the plane go over a bump. It was loud enough for all to hear but didn't really phase anyone since the plane continued into takeoff. As we're flying higher into the air, I feel an unrest to the point where I imagine the plane crashing. (The Holy Spirit is speaking.) Immediately, I pray to God for protection during the flight. Within a few minutes, the captain announces that something is wrong with the plane and we will be heading back to the gate.
Fast forward to 6:30pm when we have an emergency landing and are briefed on how to "brace for impact". We finally return to the gate and safely. (The Holy Spirit intervened.) When we eventually get off the plane, the original ticket agent calls my name to hand me my original 5:40pm ticket. He tells me "see, I told you to wait". (Hearing God's voice.) There was no point in going on that earlier flight.
What is the moral of the story?
- Seek God first in all things. Of course, I know this already, but I forget this at times, especially when it comes to the "little" things, like "should I look up earlier flights."
- Kill the flesh. When I think "flesh", I think of obvious sins like lust, anger, etc. However, it is easy to forget that certain "emotions" are of the flesh as well. "Disappointment" is not of God; it is a product of the "flesh". The definition of "disappointed" is "sad or displeased because someone or something has failed to fulfill one's hopes or expectations." That definition, itself, encompasses self-satisfying components. It's all about "me" and my expectations ... not about "God" and His expectations.
- The enemy will have you thinking the Lord is at the root of a mess when it is actually you who opened the door to that mess. When I reflected on the situation, I realized that it was the enemy/flesh urging me to check out that 4:50pm flight. How do I know this? Because my spirit was urging me against checking that flight, but I ignored it. I "rationalized" it away.
- There are other reflections that I'm still sorting out, but that is all for now, ladies.
He's been working on me on a particular situation, and this was part of it. Now, I'm not saying everyone who decides to get on an "earlier" flight is heeding the enemy. 
Nope. He directs each of us individually according to the situation and circumstances. In this particular case, He's working on me on a particular area, and when I recognized that, I realized that I was heeding the flesh (i.e., disappointment).
But then, it finally dawned on me last night that perhaps, for some reason unknown to us, God didn't want us to go. After reading your testimony, it is clearer to me than ever that we just need to seek God's will on this instead of seeking to have our own "will be done."
