When I was in high school I had a strong desire in my heart for aviation that kept growing and growing. I didn’t know what to do about it so I went to my mom and asked if I could go for some lessons.
My mom was a little fearful of this as any parent should be but with permission I went and checked out a flight school to see if I liked it. After a handful of test flights and trying different airplanes my passion and desire for aviation grew enormously and I became more fascinated with anything to do with airplanes.
To get your license you must pass three tests and I want to point out that these tests are not easy by any means. The three tests are a written test, an oral test and a practical test. I studied super hard and I passed the written test before I graduated high school!!! When you pass the written test you are still far from over depending on how many hours you have logged but I wasn’t super close to being done.
Then something awesome happened… I ACCEPTED JESUS INTO MY HEART!!! What does that have to do with airplanes I know??? Well, long story short I discovered exactly what Jesus wanted me to do with my life which is be in full time ministry and preach the gospel. He made a way for me to attend an amazing ministry school (go NewSpring!!) where I was shown some incredible things and I learned so much about myself. I went to school for two years while working close to 40 hours a week at Walmart and before I knew it I hadn’t flown a plane in years.
After graduating from ministry school, I got a job working for a mission trip company which is where I met Allison! I then moved to Alaska to do an internship which was amazing and faith stretching. I then moved to Kanas where I work in full time ministry, happily married to Allison, who is the greatest gift from God!
A Question From Jesus In A Quiet Time
Winter 2018 in a quiet time one day I was praying and I felt Jesus speak to my heart about getting my pilot license. He said “Remember the desire you have for aviation? I put that there and I want you to finish getting your license.” I was blown away that he would bring that up because I had forgotten about getting my license and it had been almost 5 years since flying a plane. After this prayer with Jesus I went and talked to Allison about it and we both agreed that I needed to pray about it more.
I kept praying over and over like Jesus says to in Luke 11 and over time it became clear to me that he was telling me to get my license because he would use it one day for my ministry. I don’t know how he will use my license but the awesome thing is I don’t have to know that right now! I just have to keep trusting in Jesus! Here is the Luke 11 verse I kept praying along with my prayer:
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. (Luke 11:5-9)
This verse was my prayer… Jesus says in this text if you keep asking over and over with shameless persistence with a pure desire that he will answer the door for you. I prayed something like this for about three months straight “Jesus I don’t know how to get this license and I don’t have the money for it but I trust you to come through.”
After praying this for months and just seeking Jesus an opportunity came about at a flight school I saw online! So I talked with the school one day and I was able to start my training right where I left off which was such a blessing to me. My instructor is a Christian as well so he helped me along the way with believing I could pass and accomplish what Jesus has told me to do.
Not only did Jesus open a door for me at a flight school, he put an awesome godly teacher in my life! I can’t begin to explain how this happened financially but it all just worked out because Jesus was in it, even when the math didn’t add up. If it’s God’s will it’s God’s bill is something I heard someone say one time, and I’ve believed it ever since.
Jesus has literally helped me every step of the way on getting my license and I know that without him it wouldn’t have happened.
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived” – the things God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
The scriptures tell us that Jesus has things for us that if he showed us we wouldn’t believe it were possible. I believe my license was one of those things for me and I know that Jesus says what he starts he will finish it. That is exactly what he did in me!
Whatever Jesus is starting in your life trust him to carry it to completion. He’s got things that he wants to do in you and through that you wouldn’t believe it were possible if he were to show you. So what is it for you? What is something that Jesus has put deep down inside of you? Is there a desire for something that you know Jesus is trying to bring out?
Put faith behind it and ask Jesus about it. I love this about our God: Jesus is not a God of confusion but a God of clarity. Jesus will eventually give you clarity about your desires. If you have a desire that you believe is from Jesus a way to test is to ask yourself is it a pure desire with pure motives that will glorify God. It could a book that needs to be written, it could be an education or some sort of license you need. Whatever it may be Jesus is faithful and he always finishes what he starts. Thank you for reading 🙂
Bryant Westbrook 