By Steve Higginbotham
Years ago, I heard a story of a photographer who was assigned to take pictures of a raging forest fire along the West coast. He was advised that a small plane that would fly him over the fire would be awaiting him at the airport.
When the photographer arrived at the airport, he saw the small airplane, hopped in and said, “let’s go!” After taking off, the photographer told the pilot to fly a low-level pass over the fire. The pilot immediately asked, “Why would you want me to do that?” The photographer replied, “Because in order for me to get good pictures, we must fly very low.”
After a rather lengthy pause, the man in the pilot’s seat said, “You mean, you’re not my instructor?”
This scenario plays out over and over again in the spiritual realm. Far too often, people look to the wrong people for guidance, direction, and expertise in their spiritual journey.
Remember the young prophet who was told to prophesy against Israel (1 Kings 13:1-25). The Lord also instructed him not to eat or drink anything until he returned home. But another prophet invited him to his home, offered him food and water, and assured him that everything would be just fine, so the young prophet ate and drank. But then is recorded some of the most sobering words in all of the Bible, “But he lied to him” (1 Kings 13:18).
When people accept the advice of a preacher, priest, pastor, or pope and fail to consult the inspired word of God, they put themselves at risk of saying, “You mean you’re not the pilot?”
When people blindly follow century-old traditions or their parents’ religion while failing to consult the inspired word of God, they put themselves at risk of saying, “You mean you’re not the pilot?”
Friends, remember the words of Jesus — “He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him; the words that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).