Be Being Filled – Part 1

I recently had a warning sign show up on the dashboard of my car, and when a sign like that comes up, it indicated that I was about to run out of fuel, and that I was running on reserve. Now for any motorist, running your car on a reserve tank can quickly turn into a break down of the vehicle; and not only that, dirt and other unwanted components begin to enter into the engine and possibly the fuel tank thereby affecting the smooth running of your car engine. Consequently, for you as a believer in Christ, you can’t afford to run on empty. In other words, you need to be constantly be being filled to the brim to overflowing; put it this way, you begin to operate from an overflow in your spirit. And when you operate from an overflow, you will always have much more to give. Those who run on empty would hardly have anything to give, because the empty spirit does not have enough to supply, and if he or she does not have enough to supply, then selfishness comes into play because he or she is now thinking first of self preservation.

The Bible says the “spirit of a man will sustain him in infirmity.” So imagine with for a moment someone whose spirit is empty, they will lack the zeal or power to stand   let alone engage in spiritual warfare. Using the analogy of the car again, when a car runs on empty for a long period of time, the check engine light comes on, indicating that the impact of running low on fuel is critical and should be checked immediately. Sometimes the driver would ignore the check engine light, and keep on driving till the inevitable happens; the car stops working and can’t move any further. Now being the owner or driver of the vehicle, you have to fix the car right? Guess what, the mechanical engineer would ask you this burning question; sir did your car give you any warning signs? And your response would be…If only I had done it on-time, it would not have caused this much damage and cost to fix.

Sometimes in our Christian walk, we ignore spiritual indicators, or promptings from the Holy Spirit either telling us to deal with issues on time before they are blown out of proportion, and then becomes difficult to manage. Have you been pressed upon through your inner witness to take action on something or regulate something in your life; and you keep putting it off. Eventually, because of disobedience, you drain out the nudging, till it becomes an in-significant voice. I strongly believe the Lord is trying to tell you and I to act swiftly and decisively in whatever it is He is asking us to do; whether as it relates to our Christian walk or otherwise. Recall the saying, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Here is my counsel to us, and as the Bible puts it, “Gods is a God of knowledge, by whom actions are weighed.” God not only weighs the actions of our heart, but also the urgency with which we address issues, especially spiritual things. Remember Jesus saying to His disciples, whose we are, “Straightway” meaning without delay implying a promptness.

Are you running on reserve tank? Are you spiritually dry and empty? And like the photo depicts, are you ignoring warning signs? Stop for a minute and consider your ways; we can’t be too busy to refuel. If you fall into any of this category, then I want you to consider stopping at the next filling or recharging point (your Church, Circle of Friends group meeting, listening to sermons or acknowledging God in your praise and worship) connecting with like minded believers where refreshing takes place. This is a critical warning to the Body of Christ. It does not matter how many years you have been a Christian, this applies to you.

In part 2, we would be looking at Galatians 5:22 and Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) in light of obvious implications for running on full tank. This is going to be interesting, and I would urge you to study out the verse of scripture prior.

We write. You read. Be encouraged.