One of the procedures taught to every air force pilot is the sequential RCR, which means Recognize, Confirm, Recover. A friend of mine who was in the Air Force told me a story of a time when he was flying his F-15 through some extremely thick fog and rain as he was coming out of a harsh storm that had him completely blinded.
As he drew near to the base, his instruments had an odd reading. It said that he was completely upside down. Everything else was telling him he was right side up...at least, that's what he thought. He had always been told by his instructors to periodically follow the RCR procedure: Recognize, Confirm, Recover. He had always followed this procedure, but his instruments were always agreeable to his surroundings. As he continued his descent, he heard the instructions from the control tower that he was clear to land, but to use caution because of the fog. His instruments continued to read that he was upside down, but in his mind and body, he knew he was right side up! So the moment of decision came. He knew that delaying would mean trouble, and so, as always, he recognized what the instruments said, he confirmed it in his mind, even though everything seemed normal, and he flipped the plane to where the instruments said that he was in the upright position. He said that the feeling was the most exhilarating experience he'd ever had as it seemed, in his mind, that he had flipped upside down. He felt in his heart that he was going to die, but he continued to follow the instruments. Because he chose to follow the instruments, he had a safe landing. He had recognized the problem, confirmed it by adjusting the plane to meet the instrument's criteria, and recovered. I really don't need to say much more with a story like that. There are going to be times in the Christian life when it will seem that if we follow the instrument panel of the Bible, we will crash and burn because it seemed completely contrary to all that is logical and reasonable. But we find that God's Word, when followed, becomes the most sensible thing after we have trusted it. It hardly seemed logical for Moses to lead the children of Israel to Pahiharoth instead of going strait up the coast to Canaan. But we clearly see in the Bible that God knew that if they went what began as the easy route, that they would have run into the Philistines and would have voluntarily fled right back into the clutches of Pharaoh, and who knows what damage he would have done then. Not only that, but it would have proven to the world that God was not strong enough to deliver Israel out of Pharaoh's grasp. Elijah was a man who had great faith in His God, and constantly defied the odds. As I mentioned in a previous post entitled Fill the Barrels, Elijah, I believe, used the precious water from the canteens of the multitude who came to see the contest on Mount Carmel between Ahab and Elijah. Not only did he defy the logic of needing dry wood to start a fire, but he also challenged the people to pour out what was left of all the water in the land in faith that God was going to let it rain. I truly believe that this is why God allowed it to rain! Because the faith of the people rested on God once again. You see, without faith, it is impossible to please God! Not improbable, not unlikely...IMPOSSIBLE. It couldn't have just been the faith of one man that caused God to send rain. It was certainly the faith of one that resulted in fire consuming the altar, but it was the faith of a nation that sent the rain. Oh wouldn't it be wonderful if the fiery faith of one would fan the flames of a multitude in your country, wherever you are, that would result in seasons refreshing and an abundance of rain?" But here's the key to all of that...THE WORD OF GOD. I hear of so many people, saved and unsaved alike, use the term faith, or believe. Indeed, 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." It never said what that faith is in. It's just that we all walk by faith. The world is teaching people to put their faith in the empirical; what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. The pilot I began this post with had a choice to either put his faith in the high tech instruments of his F-15, or in his feelings and surroundings that were seemingly obvious, but were incorrect. We put our faith in red lights...especially when we have the green light! We're putting our faith in the cars that have the red light to STOP, when we are allowed to go! We put our faith in the fuel gauge of our cars. We put our faith in what we eat, that it's not contaminated. We truly walk by faith! But few walk by the faith of God's Word, and it is very...very evident. Because there are countless, countless people who's lives have been upside down, and they would not heed to the instrument of God's Word. They refused to recognize what the Bible says about where they are headed, and as a result, they crashed and burned. There are some who recognize that the Bible is flashing a red warning light at them, but they refuse to confirm that it is true. The Bible warns twice in Proverbs that "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." There are even people who recognize and confirm that their lives are not matching up with the instrument of the Bible. They tell the preacher, "I know, I need to straighten up my life," or, "I know I'm living in sin, and I realize it could result in my destruction," But just like Pharaoh, they want one more night with the stinkin' frogs! But then there are a few who recognize that there's a problem, they confirm that it is so, even though life is good at the time, and then recover by taking action, and turning their lives around to the criteria of the instrument of God's Word. They choose to put their faith in the Word of God. You see, faith that pleases God, is faith that comes from hearing the word of God, and then our response to that faith in making the necessary adjustments to our life. My friend, perhaps you've not noticed that the Word of God says you are a sinner. You may feel like a pretty good person, but the Bible says that all have sinned. And the Bible also says that the wages of sin is death. Perhaps, logically, you feel like you're good enough for heaven. But would you take the time to CLICK HERE and check the Bible Instruments, and make sure you're not headed for disaster? Remember, there is a way which seems right, but the end of that way is death. RECOGNIZE, CONFIRM, and above all, RECOVER!
One of the procedures taught to every air force pilot is the sequential RCR, which means Recognize, Confirm, Recover. A friend of mine who was in the Air Force told me a story of a time when he was flying his F-15 through some extremely thick fog and rain as he was coming out of a harsh storm that had him completely blinded.
As he drew near to the base, his instruments had an odd reading. It said that he was completely upside down. Everything else was telling him he was right side up...at least, that's what he thought. He had always been told by his instructors to periodically follow the RCR procedure: Recognize, Confirm, Recover. He had always followed this procedure, but his instruments were always agreeable to his surroundings. As he continued his descent, he heard the instructions from the control tower that he was clear to land, but to use caution because of the fog. His instruments continued to read that he was upside down, but in his mind and body, he knew he was right side up! So the moment of decision came. He knew that delaying would mean trouble, and so, as always, he recognized what the instruments said, he confirmed it in his mind, even though everything seemed normal, and he flipped the plane to where the instruments said that he was in the upright position. He said that the feeling was the most exhilarating experience he'd ever had as it seemed, in his mind, that he had flipped upside down. He felt in his heart that he was going to die, but he continued to follow the instruments. Because he chose to follow the instruments, he had a safe landing. He had recognized the problem, confirmed it by adjusting the plane to meet the instrument's criteria, and recovered. I really don't need to say much more with a story like that. There are going to be times in the Christian life when it will seem that if we follow the instrument panel of the Bible, we will crash and burn because it seemed completely contrary to all that is logical and reasonable. But we find that God's Word, when followed, becomes the most sensible thing after we have trusted it. It hardly seemed logical for Moses to lead the children of Israel to Pahiharoth instead of going strait up the coast to Canaan. But we clearly see in the Bible that God knew that if they went what began as the easy route, that they would have run into the Philistines and would have voluntarily fled right back into the clutches of Pharaoh, and who knows what damage he would have done then. Not only that, but it would have proven to the world that God was not strong enough to deliver Israel out of Pharaoh's grasp. Elijah was a man who had great faith in His God, and constantly defied the odds. As I mentioned in a previous post entitled Fill the Barrels, Elijah, I believe, used the precious water from the canteens of the multitude who came to see the contest on Mount Carmel between Ahab and Elijah. Not only did he defy the logic of needing dry wood to start a fire, but he also challenged the people to pour out what was left of all the water in the land in faith that God was going to let it rain. I truly believe that this is why God allowed it to rain! Because the faith of the people rested on God once again. You see, without faith, it is impossible to please God! Not improbable, not unlikely...IMPOSSIBLE. It couldn't have just been the faith of one man that caused God to send rain. It was certainly the faith of one that resulted in fire consuming the altar, but it was the faith of a nation that sent the rain. Oh wouldn't it be wonderful if the fiery faith of one would fan the flames of a multitude in your country, wherever you are, that would result in seasons refreshing and an abundance of rain?" But here's the key to all of that...THE WORD OF GOD. I hear of so many people, saved and unsaved alike, use the term faith, or believe. Indeed, 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." It never said what that faith is in. It's just that we all walk by faith. The world is teaching people to put their faith in the empirical; what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. The pilot I began this post with had a choice to either put his faith in the high tech instruments of his F-15, or in his feelings and surroundings that were seemingly obvious, but were incorrect. We put our faith in red lights...especially when we have the green light! We're putting our faith in the cars that have the red light to STOP, when we are allowed to go! We put our faith in the fuel gauge of our cars. We put our faith in what we eat, that it's not contaminated. We truly walk by faith! But few walk by the faith of God's Word, and it is very...very evident. Because there are countless, countless people who's lives have been upside down, and they would not heed to the instrument of God's Word. They refused to recognize what the Bible says about where they are headed, and as a result, they crashed and burned. There are some who recognize that the Bible is flashing a red warning light at them, but they refuse to confirm that it is true. The Bible warns twice in Proverbs that "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." There are even people who recognize and confirm that their lives are not matching up with the instrument of the Bible. They tell the preacher, "I know, I need to straighten up my life," or, "I know I'm living in sin, and I realize it could result in my destruction," But just like Pharaoh, they want one more night with the stinkin' frogs! But then there are a few who recognize that there's a problem, they confirm that it is so, even though life is good at the time, and then recover by taking action, and turning their lives around to the criteria of the instrument of God's Word. They choose to put their faith in the Word of God. You see, faith that pleases God, is faith that comes from hearing the word of God, and then our response to that faith in making the necessary adjustments to our life. My friend, perhaps you've not noticed that the Word of God says you are a sinner. You may feel like a pretty good person, but the Bible says that all have sinned. And the Bible also says that the wages of sin is death. Perhaps, logically, you feel like you're good enough for heaven. But would you take the time to CLICK HERE and check the Bible Instruments, and make sure you're not headed for disaster? Remember, there is a way which seems right, but the end of that way is death. RECOGNIZE, CONFIRM, and above all, RECOVER!