He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’ and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.
Derek Draughon on Trusting God's Instruments Through Life's Storms
About this episode
Pastor Derek Draughon of First Assembly in Saraland, Alabama joins Philip Cameron for a conversation that moves from the cockpit to the sanctuary — and the parallels are striking. Derek, a licensed pilot pursuing his IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) rating, unpacks what it means to fly by instruments when you can't see — and how that mirrors the Christian life when fog, doubt, and confusion cloud our vision. Drawing on the tragic story of JFK Jr.'s fatal crash, Derek explains how flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) in spiritual life — relying only on what we can see — leaves believers dangerously vulnerable: "If you're not guided by the light, if you haven't got the security of knowing what the word of God says, you can be flipped upside down by the first bit of fog in your life." Derek also walks through a three-week sermon series on prayer — approaching God as Father (the Lord's Prayer), as Friend (Luke 11:5-8), and as Judge in the courtroom of heaven — and how each posture unlocked deeper intercession in his congregation. He then draws a vivid parallel between the story of Samson in Judges 15 and the modern pastor: performing great feats in the anointing on Sunday, yet dangerously thirsty and out of rhythm with the Spirit the rest of the week. His call to pastors and leaders is urgent — don't just play the right song; get in rhythm with the Conductor of heaven. Learn more about Derek's ministry at fuelcast.tv.
Part of our Trust collection of conversations.
What's Discussed
Pastor Derek Draughon of First Assembly in Saraland, Alabama joins Philip Cameron to explore one of the most vivid analogies in recent memory: flying by instruments versus flying by sight — and what that means for the believer navigating life's storms. Derek, an active pilot completing his IFR rating, recounts the fatal crash of JFK Jr. as a cautionary tale about trusting only what we can see. He then walks through a three-part prayer series — approaching God as Father, Friend (Luke 11:5-8), and Judge in the courtroom of heaven — before landing on a powerful challenge drawn from Judges 15: like Samson, many pastors perform great feats in the anointing yet remain desperately thirsty and out of rhythm with the Spirit. Derek's core call: get in step with the Conductor of heaven, not just the Sunday morning performance.
- IFR vs. VFR: Flying by Faith Not Sight
- Three-Week Prayer Series on Heaven and Earth
- Praying for Friends with Greater Intensity
- The Courtroom of God and Legal Prayer
- JFK Jr. Crash and Spiritual Fog Warning
- Rhythm of Heaven and the Conductor Analogy
- Samson's Anointing and Pastoral Thirst
- Getting Desperate for Living Water
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
Auto-generated · click any timestamp to jump the video
Intro
Philip:Hello, my friend, welcome to Daily Faith. I am so glad you're with us, and we've got a great show for you today. We're going to talk with Derek Draughon, one of the greatest guys. I've been traveling America for 53 years. I have made thousands of pastors, and once in a while you meet someone that just clicks with your spirit, that you find a brother, and Derek Draughon is one of them. He pastors Sarah Lynn — First Assembly, just on the outskirts of Mobile, Alabama. If you're ever in that area of Alabama, you find First Assembly, go there, and I promise you you'll be blessed by the anointing that's in that place. It's a house that's under the anointing of God, and I can't wait for you to meet him today.
Philip:For those who've been watching, we're just so encouraged. Yesterday a dear friend sent $10,000 to help us buy the home in Ukraine for those that are up — let me get the speed. We have six houses in Moldova. It's called Vatra Village, the most beautiful place that we bought, and it's full of young folk right now. When we started there, we learned that in the orphanage system, when a young person turned 16, they put them on the streets. Traffickers get them every face you see in this video. If the trafficker gets them, it's worth $300,000 to the trafficker. These homes — we take these kids off the streets from the orphanage, put them back in school, and these orphan kids have become missionaries.
Philip:We also have a home in Ukraine. We've had one there for many, many years. I didn't speak about it much, but we just supported it quietly, and it can house 24 girls. And you know what happened this year — the war broke out in Ukraine. We evacuated the girls from Ukraine and moved them to Vatra Village, and they're there at the moment, but they're going to have to go back to Ukraine fairly soon. The problem is the house that we've leased in Ukraine is now up for sale, and we are trying to buy this house, because it would mean that if this house goes, we have nowhere to put the girls to go back to Ukraine.
Philip:Can you imagine turning these kids away and just saying, sorry, it's all over? The gospel and grace has made their hearts tender and soft, and they've realized that God has a purpose for their lives, and they're beginning to think and see beyond the restrictions of what an orphan is. And for us just to say, sorry girls, you've got to go into a country that is at war with Russian soldiers — and you've been watching the news, the atrocities that are taking place. So we took this crazy challenge on to believe God for this house to be bought, and we are just amazed at what God is doing. Yesterday someone sent $10,000 to help us with the house. Today we had several thousand dollars come in from Daily Faith.
Philip:So listen, keep believing God with us, and if you could help us at this very, very important season — we've got to find this money in the next few days, and at least by the end of the year. I was hoping by November. We're more than halfway there. Please pray with us. Watch this video and it'll help you understand the situation better.
God challenged us to open a home, just a year ago. We looked for many months to find a place big enough to make a difference in young girls' lives. We finally found the perfect place that can house 24 girls. We signed a long-term lease with the owner and it has just ended. At the moment we are able to house the Ukrainian girls in Moldova, but as the war drags on there is pressure to have those who escaped the Russian invasion return to Ukraine. Moldova simply cannot afford the cost of maintaining so many refugees, and many have returned to Ukraine. Many have left for Europe and the USA, never to return. Our girls wait every day to return to their homeland. If their home is sold, there will be nowhere for them to go.
In the natural it's impossible. We have already strained every sinew in our ministry this year to care for thousands of destitute lives. We are about to send at least two containers packed with warm clothes to help these lost souls survive the brutal winter. But what about the young lives we are already committed to protecting? Where would they go? Can you imagine handing them a bus ticket to a war zone and telling them, you are on your own, we have nowhere for you to go, your home has been sold? How would they survive in a country stuck in the no man's land of war?
We are going to believe God to buy this special place. We will continue our work in Ukraine and trust him for protection as the days ahead unfold. We will be right there in the middle of tragic events, with a place of refuge for young girls to find rest in a home provided by loving hearts. If God moves, the home we need is already waiting. We just need you. Will you pray? Will you give? I'm certain everyone who could wouldn't even hesitate to help this miracle take place. That is how this huge door of opportunity could open. We can minister to these dear souls for years to come and be a beacon of hope in a bleak battlefield of despair.
Philip:In that picture in the video you see a boy with a teddy bear. He is the brother of one of the girls in our homes in Ukraine. And when we told them we were evacuating them down to Moldova, she disappeared and came back with her brother. And that's the boy with the teddy bear at Vatra Village. We need you to help us. If you could pray — we are halfway there. The house is going to cost $200,000. We would buy a van along with the house so they could escape back to Moldova if the Russians start getting close to where they are.
Philip:God challenged me to give myself $2,000, and he said if you can find 99 other people to believe God with you, you'll have this house. And yesterday someone gave $10,000 and several people have given $2,000, so we are so encouraged. I'm asking you to pray about being part of one of 100 people to give $2,000 to help us buy this home, secure this place. If you give, make sure you designate the gift — just write Odessa or Mission House and we'll know exactly what is going into a separate fund, and you can help us get this house bought and let these girls have a safe place to stay. We just appreciate that so much.
Philip:You can go to our PO box and write a check: The Orphan's Hands, PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can also go to dailyfaith.tv, where you can get the books we have there and the different things we have for sale. Or you can dial 1-833-Daily Faith and give that gift right now. Please help us make this miracle happen. You talk about a Christmas miracle — wouldn't it be something? That old Christmas song keeps singing, I'll Be Home for Christmas, and I'm hoping to the Lord that God speaks to enough people that they'll be home for Christmas. We love you for doing it. Thank you so much.
Philip:Derek Draughon is a friend of mine, a great man. I'm a visionary, and when I'm with him he inspires me. I met him — I've always known him for years, I can't even remember a time when I didn't know him. But I began to talk to him through Facebook, and a lot of things he was saying when I was going through a very trying time in my life spoke life and hope into my spirit, and I had no idea that God was directing that. I'm amazed how God directs your feet and your heart and your life. If you're in a situation today, don't be upset, for God's gonna see you through. He's gonna make a way where there is no way, and you're gonna trust him when you cannot see.
Philip:And I'm so glad, Derek, to have you back with us today. You have done something for my sons — when they met you, you began to inspire them, and you have caused me a lot of money, to be quite frank with you, because both of my sons are now learning to fly airplanes because you're a pilot. So they talk about you, you're always on our lips, always talking about Derek and what's Derek doing. And you have just started — what?
IFR vs. VFR: Flying by Faith Not Sight
Derek Draughon:Well, I started my instrument rating, and I hate — I got corrected yesterday. I posted a picture at the airport with my head — I like to frame everything with the tower in the background out of focus — but I posted that picture and said that I started my IFR training, and I did the hashtag never looked back because I need to finish it. But I got corrected in my inbox that I started my instrument rating 20 years ago and I just have not completed it. So I gotta correct that — I didn't start it, but I put the hammer down yesterday and we are so gonna complete it. The instructor I said, what do you think time-wise? He looked at my log books, we flew, and he said, in January let's go ahead and schedule your check ride into January. So that kind of got me fired up.
Philip:Let's rewind — there are folk watching thinking, what on earth is IFR and what on earth is VFR? Tell us, explain what IFR is.
Derek Draughon:Alright, well VFR is visual flight rules. So you have to be able to see to fly. You have to look out of the airplane. I remember doing those video lessons and they would say, get your head out of the cockpit, you're supposed to be looking outside. So you're flying by visual flight rules. IFR is instruments. So that's when you have weather issues, when you have low ceilings — you can't just fly through anywhere, but it allows you to get out of an airport or get in. So you're flying completely by instruments, not looking outside. You have to look at the gauges and fly. So that's instrument flight rules.
Philip:When I was a kid we used to sing a song — you can have a song in your heart in the night, after every trial, after every mile, and you can sing when the sun is shining bright, but can you have a song in your heart in the night? And IFR allows you to have night experience and to move at night time, when VFR allows you only to go when the sun is shining. And boy, that's a lead into some ministry, there's no doubt. Trust the instruments.
Three-Week Prayer Series on Heaven and Earth
Derek Draughon:And you know, our instruments — it's the word of God, it's the direction of the Holy Spirit. We've been in our church — I did a series on prayer and I thought it was going to be three Sundays. We called it Heaven on Earth, because prayer is how you get heaven on earth. The first Sunday we talked about the Lord's Prayer and going to God as a Father, which we all know — the disciples said to Jesus, teach us to pray, and he said, when you pray, pray like this: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. We know the Lord's Prayer.
Derek Draughon:And then we talked about where Jesus teaches on prayer again the second Sunday — where you have a visitor come in the night and you don't have any bread to set before them, so you go to a friend. So we talked in our church about going to God as a friend for a friend. And I'm gonna tell you, in our church the Sunday when we closed that message — because of your persistence he'll come down and give you as much as you need, for the friend, not for us. You know, that's when I pray for orphan souls, when I pray for you guys, I'm going to God as my friend, but I'm praying not for myself but for a friend. Our church prayed more passionately during that service.
Derek Draughon:We did prayer circles. Every year when we do this series we draw big circles on the floor with concrete in our sanctuary and they write prayers. But when I said, now move to a friend's circle and pray for them — I feel the Holy Spirit talking about it right now because the room elevated. They prayed more intensely for friends. But then the third week I got a little bit from a man named Robert Henderson, and we talked about going into the courtroom of God and dealing with legal issues. God is a judge, and how the great cloud of witnesses are there, our tithe is there witnessing for us, the blood of Jesus speaks greater things than the accuser of the brethren is speaking against us. And we talked about dealing with court issues and things that we've agreed to in the spiritual realm that we shouldn't have, because the accuser was lying about us, even lying to us and making us agree with them. So we dealt with courtroom issues.
Praying for Friends with Greater Intensity
Derek Draughon:But as we went through these steps, my church just opened up to prayer. But the thing I kept going back to — it's like an instrument rating, it's like flying by instruments, where we have to trust the Holy Spirit. And that's where Jesus said, whatever's going on in heaven, I want it going on here. Not what I see visually taking place, but Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. I used to hear a teaching where he said that's almost a violent prayer in the Greek. It's not soft, it's not, oh I hope your kingdom — but it's your kingdom come. It's like we reach into heaven and we pull down.
The Courtroom of God and Legal Prayer
Derek Draughon:So in our church we pray, God whatever you're doing in heaven, we want it. We want it preached here today. Whatever you're singing in heaven, we want it sung here. Whatever you're praying, we want it. So our lives, when we do that, we've got to be pulling what's going on in heaven down here, because we can't go by what we see right now, Philip. We can't go by what's going on in the natural right now. We have to pull heaven into this dimension and go with what's happening in heaven today.
Philip:Amazing. Whenever you spoke about praying for your friends, whenever you moved from your circle to their circle and suddenly the intensity of prayer — I felt the Holy Ghost suddenly in my spirit. Whoa, now that's prayer. That's what God wants us to do. The Bible tells us with Job — Job was healed when he prayed for his friends. And there are seasons of your life when you are in clouds and doubts and you can't see clearly, and you're thinking, my God, what am I doing? That's the moment when you trust the system, you trust the fact that he's with you always, even to the end of the earth. No weapon formed against you will prosper, and you go through the checklists.
Philip:And on a plane, the pilot is going through the checklist, continually checking the temperature of the engine and working all the time, because they know as long as you're doing what the system requires of you, then you're going to come through the storm. The clouds will pass, you can break through the clouds. But unless you have a bigger vision than just, well, bless me, help me, you know, I'm here — I am fascinated by John Kennedy Jr. and how he died in a plane wreck.
Philip:What happened with him was — I watched something and they recreated the events — he flew parallel to the shoreline up towards the Vineyard where he was headed. But what happened was he didn't change the fuel from one wing to the other. The tanks are in the wings, so the plane dipped slightly to the right, and imperceptibly the plane drifted away from the shoreline where the lights and the guidance was. He's flying VFR and he turned out into the sea, out into the ocean, and he had no idea where he was. He hit a cloud bank and it turned the plane upside down.
JFK Jr. Crash and Spiritual Fog Warning
Philip:Let me tell you, if you're not guided by the light, if you haven't got the security of knowing where you are and what the word of God says, you can be flipped upside down by the first bit of fog in your life. And what the devil comes to do is to put fog into your brain and into your spirit and get a lack of clarity and purpose. And what happens is you think you're flying straight, but little by little — that John F. Kennedy Jr., President Kennedy's son, with 300 hours of experience — got so caught up in the fog bank that he turned the plane upside down and then pulled up thinking he was going up. And he hit the water at 350 miles an hour.
Philip:If you're in a storm today, don't look at the storm, don't look at the wind, don't look at the clouds and the fog. Keep your eyes on Jesus, fix your eyes on him, understand what the word of God says. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, in the name of Jesus. I know who I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. And when you understand that, storms come but you're going to stay on course, because God is your ultimate guide. Hallelujah.
Derek Draughon:That's it. That's it. You know, Paul said that since we now live by the spirit — that's what we're living by. How about we now begin to keep in step with the spirit? And Philip, I believe — and people listening, I think we need to hear this, especially as the church, as ministers, as ministries — there's a rhythm of heaven. And if we're out of rhythm, then we're not being orchestrated by heaven. Same thing in the IFR flight rules. There's a rhythm, man. If you watch it on a map and you watch these airplanes, you've got air traffic control leading these planes in and they are building a rhythm where all these planes can come in. The pilots can't see what's going on, but God in heaven can see what's taking place in the church and the world. He can see what's taking place in politics, he can see what's taking place in everything, and he has a rhythm.
Rhythm of Heaven and the Conductor Analogy
Derek Draughon:If we're keeping in step with the spirit, then we align with that rhythm and we're all gonna make it to the destinations that we're supposed to make it to at the proper times. That's why Paul said, since you live by the spirit, now stay in rhythm with the spirit, keeping in step with the spirit. And I think churches have gotten out of rhythm. Can you imagine an orchestra where maybe everybody's playing the correct notes, maybe everybody's got the right sheet music, maybe we're playing the same song, but the conductor is giving the rhythm and we're not in rhythm with the conductor? So the church worldwide is — I hate to say it this way — kind of making a mess, kind of got a sound that's not right, even though we're playing the right song.
Derek Draughon:And we go individually and we think, man, I played the right song Sunday. Why is our nation not in revival? Why are we not seeing revival in the world? Why are we not seeing God do things? It's because though we're playing the right song, we're not in the correct rhythm. We're not following the conductor the way we're supposed to follow the conductor. And I think for me as a pastor — I'm talking to myself and I'm inviting people to listen with me — I don't just need to play the right song on a Sunday morning. I need to be in rhythm with the conductor, and that's far more important than that I get it right Sunday. That's far more important than how did I do, or how is my church doing. Am I in rhythm with the conductor of heaven so that we're all making it to the destinations we need to make it to?
Derek Draughon:Listen, it reminds me of Samson, the great judge — how the Holy Spirit would come on him at moments, how the Holy Spirit would rest on him and he would do great feats. That reminds me of a Sunday morning message. But then when the Holy Spirit was not on him, he was making a mess of things. When the Holy Spirit's resting on him, man, great feats. He takes the donkey's jawbone — he's tied up, the Philistines are there, people are mad at him, he's in a mess, he tied the foxes up because he blew it and his father-in-law gave his wife away. So now he takes a jawbone, reaches out and grabs it, and kills a thousand Philistines.
Derek Draughon:And the Bible says, right there — the important part — that he throws the donkey's jawbone down and says, man, I've done a great thing here. That was the moment of anointing. But then in desperation he cries out to the spirit of God and says, are you now gonna let me die of thirst? I mean, I've done a great feat, are you now gonna let me die of thirst? And the Bible shows his desperation of thirst, and it says that a void opens up in a rock and water is produced there. But listen to this — it says that when the water is produced, it's still there to this day. And I don't think the Bible makes that stuff up — it's still there to this day. So not only did it provide for his thirst in the moment, it provided for a generation's thirst years later.
Samson's Anointing and Pastoral Thirst
Derek Draughon:And I think we as pastors are happy to take a jawbone and knock out some Philistines on a Sunday morning, and we don't realize how thirsty and empty we are. We don't realize how out of rhythm we are with the spirit of God. We don't realize how much we're missing it on a global scale because we preached a good service Sunday and the altar filled up in our location. It's got to be bigger than that. And that's kind of where my heart is — that pastors and leaders get desperate for the water of God. Not just that we perform well at the moment when people are looking, but that we get so desperate for a void, a place to open up and produce living water. Because what did Jesus say? If you're thirsty, come to me and drink. And then out of your belly is gonna flow rivers of living water. That's what's gonna sustain the world around us, as those rivers of living water.
Philip:I'm sitting here looking, thinking back in my life. You can get so busy — I mean, what we do, you can get so busy with great stuff, great stuff, great stuff. And before you know it you've moved away from the river of God and the flow of God, and it's all for good reason.
Derek Draughon:And that's when — when Samson — when they said, the Philistines be upon you, the Bible said he shook himself. He shook himself. And that is a musical term. He got into the cadence. I love the word cadence. If you've ever watched the guys at the Marines at Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and you watch the marching in cadence — click, click in the heels, click — and they go back and they swing the rifles and everything's done almost like in slow motion, and they change the guards. And it's all done to a cadence.
Getting Desperate for Living Water
Derek Draughon:And what God needs you to understand is this: there's a rhythm of heaven, there's a beat of heaven, and if you and I can get into the beat of heaven, the swing of heaven, nothing can stop you. But if you're out of kilter, if you're out of time — if you've ever seen an orchestra warm up, you've got the oboes over in this section doing their own thing, and the violins, and the drummers, and everything's a total mess and confusion. And suddenly the conductor comes up with his little white wand and taps. And suddenly everything goes silent. And the conductor goes — and everything that has been out of sequence and out of time, different notes and different passages of the music that are about to play, suddenly it comes into cadence and something incredible happens out of it.
Philip:Derek, we're out of time, we've got about ten seconds left. I love you. We've got to do this more often. I'll keep saying that. Get hold of Derek — he is at fuelcast.tv, fuelcast.tv. We love you today. God bless. Bye.
For over 25 years the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova, from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They championed the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons, they come to know their heavenly Father, and are forever changed by the love of Jesus. God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness. Now, no longer orphans, they want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ.
The Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 1-833-Daily Faith. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv, or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Topics
draughonspiritual discernmentprayerholy spirit rhythminstrument flight rules analogypastoral leadershipsamson