For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God (Romans 8:14).

A young pilot had just passed the point of no return when the
weather changed for the worse. Visibility dropped to a matter of
feet as fog descended to the earth. Putting total trust in the
cockpit instruments was a new experience to him, for the ink was
still wet on the certificate verifying that he was qualified for
instrument flying.

The landing worried him the most. His destination was a crowded
metropolitan airport he wasn’t familiar with. In a few minutes he
would be in radio contact with the tower. Until then, he was
alone with his thoughts. His instructor had practically forced
him to memorize the rule book. He didn’t care for it at the time,
but now he was thankful.

Finally he heard the voice of the air traffic controller. “I’m
going to put you on a holding pattern,” the controller radioed.
Great! thought the pilot. However, he knew that his safe landing
was in the hands of this person. He had to draw upon his previous
instructions and training, and trust the voice of an air traffic
controller he couldn’t see. Aware that this was no time for
pride, he informed the controller, “This is not a seasoned pro up
here. I would appreciate any help you could give me.”

“You’ve got it!” he heard back.

For the next 45 minutes, the controller gently guided the pilot
through the blinding fog. As course and altitude corrections came
periodically, the young pilot realized the controller was guiding
him around obstacles and away from potential collisions. With the
words of the rule book firmly placed in his mind, and with the
gentle voice of the controller, he landed safely at last.

The Holy Spirit guides us through the maze of life much like that
air traffic controller. The controller assumed that the young
pilot understood the instructions of the flight manual. His
guidance was based on that. Such is the case with the Holy
Spirit: He can guide us if we have a knowledge of God’s Word and
His will established in our minds.

Lord, as this new year begins, I choose to be sensitive to Your
voice and resolutely committed to doing Your will.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .