Do you ever feel like the little chipmunk? Running, running, running. Always looking for the next meal. Watching a little animal scurrying around sometimes reminds me of the "rat race" in which most of us live.
Racing to the next appointment, racing home to change clothes to go to that meeting, racing home for supper (that's a fun race), or racing to take the kids to the little league practice. It seems like most folks these days are racing around everywhere.
When I reflect on Psalm 46:10, which states, "Be still, and know that I am God," all that is within me cries out to God. "When do I have time for that! My life is so hectic, that I want to spend time with you, but the "rat race" has engulfed me."
When in the world do I have time to sit down and read my Bible, and pray, and just be still and let God speak to me?
I feel like I have really run out of gas. I am trying to restart my engines, but I am going nowhere.
Does this sound like your life?
Many of us are "out of gas" in our personal lives, and really need to stop at the "filling station".
Of course, if you have committed your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and are attempting to live for Him, the "filling station" is manned and operated by the Holy Spirit of God.
Eph 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." The job of the Spirit of God, is to keep us filled up, and keep our engines running.
How does He do that? It is really a rather simple explanation. Refer to the next three verses if you will in Ephesians 5:19-21, which says "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."
The essential elements of the "spiritual filling station" are spending time reading the Word of God, incorporating singing to the Lord, by yourself and with other believers, and spending a lot of time in fellowship with other Christians, and last but not least praying to the God who desires to fill us up with His Spirit. And probably the most overlooked area of the filling station, is verse 21, where God tells us to submit ourselves to each other.
Accountability to another believer is very essential if you want to keep going down the spiritual highway. All of us need to have an open and honest relationship with another close friend, with whom we can share our struggles and ask them to check up on us on a daily basis. You can almost refer to them as your "spiritual mechanic", who helps you keep your engine running smoothly.
On a personal note, I did this on a regular basis for the first 15 years of my Christian life. Then I drifted away from the Lord, and failed to link up with anyone who could help me and encourage me through my struggles. I was involved with a local church, but chose not to make myself accountable to anyone there, and so I drifted further into sin.
Sometimes if this happens, we blame others for not caring. But in reality, we are to blame, since there are many others around us who would love to help us, and pray for us, but we are the ones who choose to be proud and try to make it "on our own".
But we fail! But God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9), and He does not give up on us. He linked me up with an old friend, who challenged me to walk with God again, and to confess my sin, and get back in the race.
This friend impacted my life in a very real way. He told me that even if I never came back to the Lord, and even if I continued to live my life with sin hanging out all over me, he would still be my friend.
Wow! That really got my attention.
That was the beginning of my return to the Lord. This man is still one of my closest friends and we still challenge each other in the area of accountability.
Dear friend in the Lord, ask God to give you someone like that!
Stop at the "filling station" and fill up every morning. Remember Lamentations 3:22,23, "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
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