In General Aviation, many aircraft still operate with carbureted engines. Pilots are trained to recognize a peculiar and potentially dangerous phenomenon known as carburetor icing. Under certain conditions—typically when flying through moist air at partial power settings—the carburetor throat can become cold enough to cause water vapor to freeze. This builds up ice inside the carburetor, restricting airflow and gradually starving the engine.
The signs can be subtle at first: a slight drop in RPM, a small decrease in power output. But left unchecked, carburetor ice can cause the engine to run increasingly rough—and eventually fail.
Pilots are trained to respond decisively. They apply carburetor heat—a system that reroutes warm air into the carburetor to melt the ice. But here’s where it gets counterintuitive: when carb heat is applied, the engine doesn’t immediately get better. It actually gets worse.
Why? Because as the heat melts the ice, the melted water enters the engine. For a brief moment, this causes the engine to run rougher than before. But it is only a passing phase. The water evaporates or is burned off, and the airflow returns to normal. The engine clears. Power is restored. And the danger passes.
It’s a strange truth of aviation—and an insightful metaphor for life and faith: sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.
The Spiritually “Rough” Phase
We often expect spiritual breakthroughs to be smooth, obvious, and painless. When we pray for healing, we want instant restoration. When we ask God for clarity, we want immediate answers. When we seek freedom from sin, we want instant deliverance. But God often works through process, not magic. And sometimes the process gets messy before it gets clear.
When light exposes darkness, it can feel worse before it feels freeing. When God begins to refine the heart, it may ache. When sin is revealed and confessed, shame can rise up before peace settles in. But this is not failure—it’s the carb heat doing its work.
Consider Peter when he denied Christ. In that moment, his faith engine sputtered. Jesus had warned him: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” Peter protested, but he fell—hard. And after his denial, he wept bitterly. That night, he experienced the full weight of spiritual failure. But it was not the end.
Jesus restored Peter not by ignoring the failure but by revisiting it. On the shore of Galilee, after His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times: “Do you love Me?” (John 21). Each question was a moment of heat, melting the ice, flushing the heart, restoring faith. Peter went on to become a bold witness for Christ—not despite his failure, but through it.
The same principle plays out again and again. When God begins to address what is clogging the engine of your life, it might feel like you’re getting worse. But don’t panic. It’s part of the process. The key is to keep the heat on.
Sanctification Is Often Messy
There is a theological term for the ongoing process of being made holy: sanctification. And it rarely follows a clean upward line. It often looks like two steps forward, one step back. Or sometimes, several steps back before any progress at all. But it is still God’s work in us.
Paul writes in Philippians 1:6:
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Notice that God begins the work—but He also carries it on. Sanctification is not an instant transformation. It is a process of confronting sin, exposing idols, correcting lies, and aligning our hearts with truth. And yes—it can feel rough for a time.
Sometimes the most loving thing God can do is disturb us. Like the ice clogging an engine, sin and false beliefs can slowly choke the life out of us. They may go unnoticed for a while, but they cannot remain forever. And when God applies heat—conviction, correction, challenge—we may feel temporarily worse. But that discomfort is the beginning of freedom.
Biblical Examples of “Worse Before Better”
This pattern is found all over Scripture. Think of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused and thrown into prison. From his perspective, it must have felt like life only got worse. But God was positioning him to save a nation and redeem a family.
Think of the Israelites in Egypt. Before their deliverance, Pharaoh made their labor even harder. The people cried out in deeper agony. But it was precisely then that God began to act.
Think of the cross. There is no greater “worse before better” moment than Good Friday leading to Easter Sunday. The disciples were shattered, the sky went dark, and hope seemed lost. But three days later, the tomb was empty, and salvation had come.
God often allows the storm before the calm, the refining fire before the purity, the winter before the spring. But in each case, He is present. He is not absent in the rough patch—He is at work.
Don’t Quit Too Soon
One of the biggest dangers in both flying and faith is turning back too soon. A pilot who applies carb heat and feels the engine stumble might be tempted to throttle back or disengage the heat, thinking they made it worse. But that is the worst possible move. The key is to trust the process. Wait. Let the ice melt. Let the system clear. Then you’ll see the benefit.
In our walk with God, the same temptation arises. When conviction feels painful, we may want to silence it. When trials intensify, we may want to run. But God calls us to persevere. He is not cruel—He is careful. He is melting the ice.
James 1:2–4 says:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Let it finish its work. Don’t pull out early. The roughness is temporary. The restoration is eternal.
Final Approach
Life will bring seasons when things feel like they are getting worse, even though you are trying to follow God. Don’t be dismayed. You may be in the middle of divine carb heat. The ice is melting. The blockages are being removed. The engine of your faith will soon roar to life again—clearer, stronger, and more responsive than before.
The Gospel does not promise ease, but it does promise truth. And the truth is that God finishes what He starts. He will not abandon you in the rough patch. He is refining you, restoring you, and preparing you for flight.
Let Him apply the heat. Trust the process. Because on the other side of the struggle is power, clarity, and joy in the journey ahead.
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