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How Faith Works

It’s no secret that flying is NOT my favorite pastime; however, I do it a lot because it’s part of God’s plan for fulfilling my purpose. One of the areas of the USA that I LEAST like to fly “to” or fly “over” is Denver, Colorado. The high winds in the mountain range cause significant turbulence.

As God would have it, one of the most significant media appearances of my life, being a guest on the “Today with Marilyn and Sarah” TV program, just happens to be taped in Denver. I’ve been there three times now to record various shows. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart prior to the first visit and informed me: “The place you fear is where your opportunity lies.” So off I went—in obedience but with some trepidation.

Well, yesterday, my husband Darnell and I were en route to Los Angeles from Toronto, Canada and I found myself dreading the return flight which would take us over Denver. The flight out to Toronto had been pretty rocky when we had flown over the area. At the Toronto airport, I felt faith rise up in me and I said, “Darnell, stand with me in believing that we will not experience any turbulence when we reach the Denver mountain range.” Being a man of faith, he readily agreed.

The Airbus 321 aircraft we were on had individual seat monitors and featured a flight map. I kept checking it to determine when we’d be approaching the Denver area. Suddenly, I realized that I was operating in faith and anxiety at the same time. A part of me said, “Get ready for turbulence just in case…” The other part of me fought to believe that our prayers would be answered. It was at this point that the Holy Spirit literally invaded by thoughts and said, “That’s not how faith works. It doesn’t focus on the ‘seen’! Turn off the map and just expect NOT to have the turbulence.” That’s exactly what I did. And guess what? The turbulence NEVER occurred! I had NEVER flown over Denver before without turbulence. So here are my lesson learned:
• Faith relaxes.
• Peace comes when we focus on God’s ability to intervene and away from the circumstances.
• We must not let phrases like, “normally”, “usually”, “traditional requirements”, etc. sabotage our faith. We are the “righteous” (in right standing with God thru the blood of Jesus); we can expect the FAVOR of God. FAVOR implies that we get benefits beyond what “usually” occurs.

Use your faith today! Let Psalms 5:12 be your anchor when you are facing uncertainty: “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround him as with a shield “(NKJV).