Fuel Gauge
June 27, 2012
One of my greatest hobbies is driving long distance. It is therapeutic for me, and though many might say it is dangerous to drive when annoyed or stressed, for me it works magic any time. It is important to note though that its not just any car that works for me; don’t give me a Toyota Vitz, or a Probox and expect me to enjoy that drive… that will probably stress me more. In short, the car must be powerful, with a pick-up speed that causes adrenaline rush, must be unique and “almost” mean looking, but regardless of the model, it must be economical on fuel…Oh, and the sound system must be A1!
My favorite sports car.... fondly nicknamed "Hippy Sista". 2 years ago I hit the 200 Km Mark on her speedometer, and I can tell you she is one smooth ride! Wow!
Sadly though, I haven’t done long distance in quite a while… The last real long distance I did was 3204Kms in November 2010, when I drove from Dar Es Salaam to Nairobi then to Kisumu and back to Dar Es Salaam, with a few mzungukos in the outskirts of Nairobi.
Though I enjoy driving, I think driving on a jam-packed road is the most annoying thing that a driver could ever experience, regardless of how comfortable their car is. Yesterday I got tested on this and I have to admit at some point there I felt like leaving the car on the roadside, grabbing a lift on someone’s motor-bike and just forget about the car. But obviously in this part of the world you cannot afford to do that and so I had to stay in that horrible traffic till I got to where I was going.
Then at some point my fuel gauge warning light went on. Whaaaat!?! Here I am, in the middle of traffic, with the nearest fuel station being seven (7) Kms from either direction. This made me panic. You see, during long distance, the fuel consumption of my car is just amazing, but on short jammy trips like the one I was doing last evening, it guzzles fuel like nobody’s business. So when the light came on, I knew I had to do something, otherwise I’d have to run looking for fuel in my long heels (hmm… not very nice for my “image”).
To cut a long story short, I did a few illegal moves and landed at the fuelling station before drama could unfold. It is while at the fuelling station that I had one of my famous light-bulb moments…. For a car to move, it needs fuel; for any living thing to live, there has to be fuel (food). And for you to make steps and grow spiritually, you need fuel too! Wow!
As a Christian, you cannot grow in your spiritual walk without the word of God. I once read a quote by E. M. Bounds, which said, “the word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong.” If I could just break down this quote, it simply means that if you do not have the word of God in you, even your prayers will be shallow and feeble…. (Ouch!!). So, with this in mind, the most ideal question would be, how often do you stop to refill your spiritual tank with the word of God? To put it more bluntly, when was the last time you took time to read the word of God, meditate upon it and apply it to your life?
Remember, our relationship with God must be 2-way; He speaks to us through His Word (The Bible) and we speak to Him through prayer. He says in Jeremiah 33: 3 “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” If I could write my own bible, this scripture according to Liz’s Home Version, would read like this “Call to me in prayer, and I will answer you, through my word I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know”
The fuel a practicing Christian needs is the word of God and prayer. This is a challenge I am throwing to you as much as to myself. Some people think that because they have other people praying for them that will cause them to grow spiritually; what a lie! In fact, the thought is hilarious. It sounds more like me putting fuel in my car, and you expecting to drive yours (on an empty tank) because I have fueled mine… now that’s another example of insanity.
Keeping your spiritual tank full is a must for any Christian who has genuinely left the ways of the world and decided to follow Christ. I have shared with you some thoughts from others in relation to this…….. Don’t just enjoy the quotes, but may they help you realize how powerful prayer is in our lives.
“Many Christians backslide…They are unable to stand against the temptations of the world, or of their old nature. They strive to do their best to fight against sin, and to serve God, but they have no strength. They have never really grasped the secret: The Lord Jesus will every day from heaven continue His work in me. But on one condition—the soul must give Him time each day to impart His love and his grace. Time alone with the Lord Jesus each day is the indispensable condition of growth and power.” Andrew Murray
“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” John Bunyon
“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick
“God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces of against evil …” E.M. Bounds
"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying". Paul E. Billheimer
“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” Corrie ten Boom
“The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!” (J. Hudson Taylor)
The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.” E.M. Bounds
Prayer should not be regarded “as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” E.M. Bounds
Yes, worship of the loving God is man’s whole reason for existence.” A.W. Tozer
The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray. ~ S.D. Gordon
Question to you is: Is your spiritual fuel gauge looking healthy?
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