As the pilot of a comfortable twin-engine airplane in the Republic of Vietnam I pretty much had it made, at least while in the air. We flew at altitudes that were usually safe from enemy fire. One day while flying at 9,000 feet over the mountains I was already bored with the routine flight. My copilot was a guy named Dave. He and I often joked about the old saying, “Flying is hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of stark terror.” Just as I finished my first cup of coffee our moment of terror happened; the Fire Warning Alarm sounded! STARTLED is not a strong enough word to describe our reaction in the cockpit. The loud warning horn and the flashing red lights indicated a fire in the left engine. The temperature gage and a visual check of the engine through the window showed no signs of a fire but there was too much at stake to ignore the warning. Dave switched the radar transponder to the emergency position while I radioed the situation to the radar controller and requested emergency landing at the nearest airfield. As it turned out the warning system had failed due to a bad wire and there was no actual fire in the engine. Regardless, I did the right thing. You can’t take chances when lives are at stake!

I often encounter people who take all kinds of risks in their lives, even when the warnings are very evident. Divorce rates are higher for 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th marriages, yet many divorced people jump into another marriage before they’ve even begun to heal from the previous one. My counseling has shown that the divorce rates for those over 60 years of age are on the rise in the U.S.  Yet, many older adults think they will be an exception to the statistics, only to crash and burn in their new relationships. Some still in careers will use immoral or illegal methods to get ahead, only to be discovered and lose the reputation they spent years building. I admire people who heed warning signs in their lives and take action to ensure their safety. I appreciate their use of good spiritual judgment by listening to God’s warning system and deciding to ask Him for guidance. We find in Matthew 24:42, Acts 21:3-4, 1 Timothy 4:1-6 and Jude 3-4 different warnings God gave to His people to help protect them. What He gave then, applies NOW! 

Common Sense Application

When faced with an inner warning that you are in violation of God’s will for your life you should, 

1.  Pray, spend more quality time with God and listen to His guidance.

2.  Ask a trusted Christian friend to be your accountability partner to help you analyze the warning sign you are receiving.

3.  Recommit yourself to see and hear the warnings God places in your life.

4.  Use the good spiritual common sense God gave you to run from temptation!

5.  When you do heed the warning sign, and survive, thank God for His goodness and share your success with someone else who is struggling or who needs encouragement.