I liked it the first time I saw it. “God is My Copilot,” the bumper sticker said. It sounded good. It was a clear statement of faith. I knew the driver of the car was a believer. I felt a connection to them. I smiled and drove on. It was good!

    Since that time, I’ve heard about books being entitled “God is My Copilot” as well as films, articles, and sermons. I still like the sentiment. I’m glad people are open to sharing their faith about not trying to live without the presence of God in their lives. I feel a connection to those people. I’ve even been blessed by the content of these messages. It has all been good!

    I’ve learned, however, that the slogan doesn’t go quite far enough, at least not for me.

    Please don’t get me wrong; I’m not criticizing the faith of those who have used this motto. Neither am I trying to “one up” these folks in spirituality or piety game. Nor am I trying to play a little semantic game. Instead, I think I’ve learned the hard way that God can’t be in the copilot seat of my life. He’s got to be the main and only pilot, or I’m pretty much headed for disaster. I’ve learned that if the LORD is not in complete control, then I generally “goober up” a lot of things in my life. When God is my copilot, he also has to be my janitor, salvage company, and toxic waste clean up director. As a pilot, I generally make a mess of things.

    What’s the big difference? Isn’t this just wrangling about words?

    Nope! The difference is huge. It means everything. When God is the pilot, I recognize that life lived the right way is led by the Spirit of God. I try to begin everyday by saying, “Jesus, you are welcome here. Please come take control of this day. Please lead my life today in the way you want it to go. Father, your will be done in my life today, not mine. Holy Spirit, please lead me through this day and empower me for every encounter with the evil one.”

    Somewhere along the way each day — and the earlier in the day I consciously do this the better — I must be willing to say, “I’m not the captain of my own ship. I’m not the pilot in control of the flight plan, the destination, or the ride. I can’t fly this thing, I need help!”

    I’m not trying to shirk my responsibility. I’m not trying to get out of expending effort. I’m not trying to avoid accountability for my actions. Instead, I’m consciously deciding to follow Jesus. I’m intentionally asking to be led by the Spirit. I’m specifically offering my will to be molded by God.

    Does this mean that I don’t “goober up” some days? No, I can still mess things up pretty badly. Sometimes, I even have the “help” of others who try to mess things up for me.

I can’t fly this thing, I need help!

    Does it mean I let God stay in control and always set the direction for my speech, my decisions, and my behavior? No, I have to admit that I all too frequently reach for the pilot controls once I’ve relinquished them! However, I Am seeing the Lord’s progress in my life and my heart. The promise to transform me into the likeness of Christ by the power of His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18) seems to be happening. So even though I still goober things up from time to time, I keep trying to climb out of the pilot seat each morning and hand the controls over the Father.

    Here’s my four point flight plan:

1. Each day, I specifically acknowledge that I need to have God lead my life through his Word and his Spirit, otherwise I will make a mess of things. (Romans 8)
2. Each day, I intentionally rejoice, knowing that the Creator of the universe is involved in my life, working things to conform them to his will. (Philippians 2:12-13)
3. Each day, I purposely reassure my heart with the promise that I am not alone in trying to live my life and in trying to do what is right. (Hebrews 13:5-6)
4. Each day, I consciously trust that even when I’ve messed things up, God is going to step back in and work things toward his eternal purpose for my life. (Romans 8:28-30)