My Horrific Plane Flight Forever Engraved on my Mind

God wakes me up very early when there's something He wants to tell me.

This particular morning was one of those times.

Immediately, I went to prayer. I didn't even have time to ask, "What is it Lord?"

He spoke to me very quickly. "Satan doesn't come to you dressed in red, horned, and a pitch fork, as imagined by the human mind. He comes disguised, appealing to your senses. He comes dressed in white, beautifully adorned, enticing you to want what he has to offer. Beware! What He has to offer comes with a cost. Its cost is death to your calling and to your blessings. It will cost you everything. I didn't leave you helpless, not able to recognize his schemes. He that lives in you will always recognize him and show you the real truth. Be on guard. Be wise to his schemes."

Ok, there is nothing quite like waking up to that word. "God, please help me, what are you telling me? I'm a little freaked out here." I pick up the word of God and these are the two Bible verses I first see:

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." -Proverbs 22:3

"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them." Psalms 34:7

I know for certain God spoke to me this particular morning because the two verses went hand in hand with what He just told me. They "appeared" in my devotion time to perfectly confirm His warning and His ability to rescue.

These verses are easy to understand. We must be on guard at all times for the destructive devices of the enemy. We can't ignore the warning signs. We must be vigilant. We can't go on blindly pretending we don't see the danger signs. We must be in tune with the Holy Spirit at all times, listening to his soft still voice and being led by the Spirit.

Secondly, God does protect those who fear him. His Angels are encamped around them. He will not allow them to stumble because they FEAR Him. Are you hearing me today?

Fear God, and run, run, and run away from those enticing things that are tempting you. They may come all nicely gift wrapped and looking really good, making you feel good, and making you desire them. Look out! Things may not be as they seem. They are destructive to you. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He was left here to be your guide, to reveal to you His truth, not your limited understanding of what is real and what is fake. He recognizes what is behind the good looking package. He knows exactly what is in it. You and I don't. We do not know anything except by the revelation of the Spirit of God. That very thing, desire, or want that looks really good in your eyes is poisonous. It's deadly. It will cost you everything. Don't do it. Walk away! Stop! Turn around!

God brought to my mind a terrible flight I was on when Justin was 9 months old. I had to go on a business trip to Nevada. It was in the month of February.

On the way back, I had a stop in Utah. I was ready to board the flight back to Boston. I felt God say, "Do not get on this flight!"

I literally felt sick to my stomach. There was a predicted snowstorm headed for Boston.

I got to the door of the plane, ignoring the warning. I thought it was just me.

I felt again, "Don't get in the plane. Go back."

I even asked the flight attendants as I was stopped at the door of the plane, hesitating should I go sit or turn around. "Are you sure this snowstorm is not going to affect this flight?"

My Chair of the department at LDW was with me on that flight. The flight attendant said it was going to be no big deal. Against my better judgment and totally ignoring what God just told me. I got on that flight.

The snowstorm turned out to be much worse than anticipated. Every single airport was shut down as it produced an ice storm up and down the East Coast. In addition to the snow, we were in the air for 12 hours just circling. There was nowhere to land. The plane ran out of fuel. We had to go to Canada to fuel up. They ran out of food and water.

In Canada, we couldn't get out because no one had passports. We sat in their runway for hours. Then the pilot got on the intercom and told us Boston had cleared the runway, and we were ready to leave for Boston.

Everyone was excited. It was about 15 hours that we were in the plane.

We got to Boston, and the pilot got on intercom to tell us there was a plane coming from overseas, and the plane is dangerously low on fuel so they have to land before us.

Everyone was complaining. In my mind I'm saying, "Really? God, I want out of this plane now!" The pilot made his dissension, and all of a sudden aborted the landing.

We were back in the air. He got back on and told us the plane in front of us skidded on the ice and almost landed in the Boston Harbor. The runway was too dangerous to land. Had that plane not needed an emergency landing, our plane was going to land. We would have skidded right into the Boston Harbor. What saved the other plane was it was a bigger jet. Our plane would have plunged into the icy water.

I have a great friend that works for the airline I was on. He knew I was on that flight. He was watching the whole thing. He had been tracking me the whole time wondering how the plane would land. Now, I was in total panic mode. We were now flying for 20 hours. The pilot got on intercom again. He told us we have to make an emergency landing. We didn't have fuel enough to take us anywhere. There was a shut down airport in Connecticut. It was being opened only to land the plane, and we needed to prepare for a crash landing.

All of my friends knew what was happening. I was getting calls. I called my pastor's house. I told his wife, one of my best friends, "Pam, I'm not dying on this plane. I'm a new mom, and God didn't bring me Justin for just nine months. We started to pray up to when I had to get off to assume that horrible crash position. The Chair of LDW grabbed my hand. I looked at her and told her, "I don't care what is happening. We are going to live! We are not dying in this plane. You hear me? God, be the pilot, take over, land this plane safely I pray."

I didn't care who heard or what they thought. I prayed God would save our lives, and He did. We landed in a deserted airport with people on the runway leading the pilot at 4 a.m. 20 hours later. We then had to be bussed from Connecticut to Boston as that airport was shut down. We walked into an airport with no one there to welcome us, no lights, no restaurants, no nothing. I'll never forget that experience. In spite of this, I still fly the friendly air!

God brought to my mind that flight I was on, strongly reminding me He had warned me not to get on that flight. I was too embarrassed to tell my Chair or the airline I wasn't going to go on it, a lesson terribly learned. I promised myself and all my friends who know this story I don't care what people have to say. If God shows me something I'm going to obey and do it. That flight could have turned out lot different.

I'm reminded of a few years ago and a plane landing in the Hudson River, in New York. I couldn't help to think of my flight if it hadn't been for that overseas plane, we would have met with same fate, in the middle of the night and in a snow storm. Can you even imagine this disaster?

Today, what is God showing you and telling you that you're ignoring?

Please don't be foolish. That thing you want that you know is wrong will destroy you. Walk as children of light and not darkness. Those who fear the Lord, shall be protected and saved from all the enemy's snares, entanglements, and deceptions. That's a promise.

IF you take precautions placed there by God to protect you. Go for the covering. Run to it as if your life depends on it, because it does, and you shall be saved.

Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro

Founder and President

Thread of Hope, Inc.