Our main family vehicle is a suburban. It is an older one that we have already had for 10-11 years and had purchased it used when we got it. It currently has around 360,000 miles and for the most part is still running fairly well. With that kind of miles, you can expect some quirks about it that are not always worth the money to fix. Some of them being, the sound system no longer works, the lights flash on and off saying a door is open–though no door is open, the bright lights will come on every time you turn on the turn signal to the right, and numerous other small challenges. But it still gets us from point A to point B fairly well.
Recently our suburban has started leak out radiator fluid. I have been unable to determine where it is leaking at, but every other day, and sometimes every day, more fluid has to be added. It is a little nerve-racking, and definitely frustrating to have to deal with it.
We do not have another vehicle to use if we were to take it to a mechanic, plus don’t really have the money to fix it at this time. So at this time we live with it, grateful that it still runs, keeping it filled with water, and praying to God for a solution.
A thought that I had about this was how our vehicle is like our lives. We go to church and get filled with God’s Spirit, get re-energized, ready to face the week with God. As the week goes by, what usually happens?
Things break down, go wrong, problems occur, sickness occurs, going to work, stress at work, financial challenges, and the list goes on. If I am not careful, I allow the Holy Spirit to leak out of my life. He gets pushed out by my allowing other things to take the throne of my life. God gets put on the shelf with my business of life.
Instead of life being about God, it suddenly becomes about me and my needs and wants.
When this happens God allows warning lights to go off in my life that there is a problem. The peace of God has disappeared. Rest can no longer be found. Energy is depleted. There is no more joy in life. Reading the Bible becomes a chore, or is put aside and forgotten.
The interesting thing about this, is that it can be prevented. Keeping your life full of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word will prevent the problems from tearing you down and allowing the Holy Spirit to be leaked out of your life. Jesus said that you need to drink of the water that He has so that you can have eternal life.
The problems will still be there. You will still have many challenges in this life here on earth. Those problems are there because of sin and to push you closer to God. You have to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and keep you going.
This can only happen by constantly being filled with God each day. Study God’s Word, sing songs of praise and worship to Him, pray without ceasing, and fellowshipping with and encouraging other believers.
The devil wants you to self-destruct and tries to keep the pressure on you to push God out of your life. He strives to get you to let the Holy Spirit leak out of your life so that you do not have God in your life, keeping you going. As you are filled with God’s Spirit, you will be energized to keep going. The fluid of the Holy Spirit will keep the gears of your life lubricated so that you do not overheat and be destroyed.
Know that God is willing to fill you daily with His Holy Spirit to give you the needed strength to face each days problems and challenges.
Your problems may not go away, just as my problem with my suburban has not gone away yet, but you will have the hope of God that you will survive in spite of them, and know that God is with you through the challenges.
Leave a Reply