IS YOUR TANK FULL?
TIME TO FILLER UP

Act 2:46 And they, continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart

My husband used my car last week and when he came home and made a comment about the gas (or lack of gas)
in the car.  He wanted to know why there less than a ¼ of a tank of gas in the car.  I thought that was a silly question, since I had gotten better about not waiting until the bell went off to let me know it was time to fill up. 

I told him I knew where the gas needle was, and wanted to know if he filled it up.  He pretended he didn’t hear that part and went straight into mechanic mode. He reminded me - for the third time - that it’s cheaper to keep the tank ½ full than to have to replace a fuel injector, motor, etc.  He started explaining about how allowing the car to function (or not function) with low fuel would damage the car. Needless to say, I tuned him out as he began to explain that the fuel injectors perform at optimal level when the car has at least ½ of gas in it.

I knew what he was saying was true, but those gas prices depressed me every time I passed by a gas station.  I don’t know who I thought I was getting even with by not keeping gas in the car.  I mean, there is no way of getting around it.  You need gas in the car! Oh, I meant to fill up at the ½ way point earlier in the week to ensure I that I wouldn’t run out of gas, but each time I would say “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Well tomorrow didn’t happen, and my husband was still talking about the car, now like it was a person.  What he said next, however, made me think.  “I get weak when I haven’t had food for a while (boy does he ever!).  Then he said, “Remember what happened to our son’s car, and the price they had to pay to get it fixed? (I will never forget)  A car needs gas like we need food.  A car can’t run on empty - every now and then you have to fill it up, and take it in to be serviced. 

Can’t run on empty, needs to be serviced….How would I feel if I didn’t have enough food to eat? Drained?  Tired?  Weak?  Empty?  I am not just talking about life-sustaining nourishment.  I’m talking about spiritual food - THE WORD! Hmmm.

So I ask you this question…IS YOUR TANK FULL?

Many people get a spiritual fill-up on Sundays and plan to function throughout the week on that one tank.  However, you and I know that getting filled up on Sunday will not last the entire week. There is a need to refuel throughout the week to ensure that the 'spiritual fuel injectors' function at peak level. Sunday worship is fine.  However, we never know when traffic jams may arise during the week. Your first “traffic jam” will occur the moment you leave the church. Most of us will burn up a few gallons as soon as we get home. Because your husband didn’t go to church with you because the big game is coming on (and you know how long the pastor is going to preach), or hunting season, the guys going fishing, kids acting up, etc. Needless to say, by the time you finish telling them off (like we Christians do) you have wasted gallons of precious fuel.  Filler up!

What happens when we return to work on Monday? Trouble with a manager or co-worker, meeting deadlines, employee issues, not getting a raise or promotion we know we deserve, and too many meetings.  They all cause traffic jams. Look at all the gallons spiritual fuel we are losing. And it’s only Monday! Tank time… filler up!

Next you have to deal with family issues, financial troubles, sickness, etc. These things can arise at any point during the week. If a traffic jam occurs early in the week, and you haven’t stopped to refuel, by Wednesday there is a chance you will 'run out of gas' and say or do something crazy! There goes that gas again…Tank time… filler up!

And last but not least, what about those of us that minister to others?  We give so much of ourselves that we get burned out.  We give and give and give until we are running on empty and there is no one (or we feel like there is no one) to refuel us the way we have helped refuel others.  So we start complaining, getting weak in the body, and come to a stop - all because we forgot to refuel ourselves.  If Jesus had to get away from others for His refueling (to spend time with His Father) so must we.  You must allow time for yourself; you need that time.  It’s during that time that the Lord will refresh you and make you brand new.  It’s time that you can’t afford to miss if you intend to continue in your walk with the Lord.  Ministers we have been filling up at the self service station too long.  It’s your time of refreshing.  We must stop by the Lord’s station and let Him fill us up!

It is certainly not healthy for us to try to function on Sunday’s fuel all week.  You and I know that one tank of gas won’t last long.  Usually by Thursday, the 'low fuel light' is on, and you may barely make it to the gas station. Therefore, it is important that we take every opportunity throughout the week to refuel the spiritual tank; - through quiet time, bible study, mid-week worship, or other ways to ensure we are prepared for any 'traffic jams' that may arise before next Sunday. 

And let’s talk about getting the tank full on Sunday. If we study the book of Acts we don’t find them having church just on Sunday. 

Act 2:46-47 And they, continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church DAILY such as should be saved.

I’ve noticed that when the church doors close on Sundays, we tend to close up too, and believe that we have done our part - and put Jesus on the shelf until next Sunday. The Apostles stayed at peak level because they kept their tank full daily, not just on Sundays.  They were busy daily teaching others how to keep their tanks full every day. Keeping your tank full will put gladness in your hearts. Praises to the Lord went up daily, not just on Sundays and Wednesdays. We have developed a tradition of having church (or fellowshipping) only on Sundays and forgetting about the Word, and sharing the Word the rest of the week.  But in order for us to perform at peak level we need a daily supply of the Word.  

We pick up our bible on Sunday morning, and put it back down Sunday evening and it stays there until the next time we go to church. No wonder you’re running on empty! Tank time… filler up!  You don’t feed your physical body once a week.  Why do we think we can get by on God’s word once a week? Believe me; it’s more important to make sure you feed your spirit than it is to feed your body.  Think about how often we eat.  We have breakfast, lunch and dinner, not to mention the snack breaks we take at work.  We have snacks in our purse, in our desks, in our cars; we will eat if we do nothing else!  We are a generation that lives to eat instead of eating to live. Well, God wants us to feed our spirit the way we feed our body, morning, noon, and night, and more than once a week!   He wants us to hunger and thirst for Him. Look at what the word says:

Deuteronomy 11:18-21: So commit yourselves completely to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.  

The Lord wants you to fill up daily on His word.  So come on - filler up!

I remember years ago as gas prices started going up, services station created the “self-service isle”.  The self-service isle gave us a chance to save a few cents, and check our car if we needed to.  The only problem with that, if you didn’t know anything about cars, or if something was wrong with your car, you didn’t know what to check.  So you ended up just putting gas in your car, maybe cleaning the windshield (if you felt like it) and leaving.   Thank goodness they didn’t close down all the full service isles.

Every once in a while, we need to try to find a full service station (5 FOLD MINISTRY) and let the Attendant (Holy Spirit) clean our windshields so we can see clearly.  You know as we travel the highways of this life, we get things thrown at our windshields (faces) all the time.  And although we try to clean them ourselves, there are times we have to get out of the way and let the Attendant (Holy Spirit) clean for us. You and I know that we can sometimes make a stain worse if we don’t know how to clean it properly.  We can take one tiny spot (a molehill) and make a huge mess (mountain) out of it.  Then we have a habit of noticing how dirty someone else’s windshield is, have the nerve to write “please wash me” on it, all while looking through our own dirty windshield. How quickly we forget the residue left on our own windshield!  That’s why it’s important to stop by the full service station and allow the Attendant (Holy Spirit) to clean your windshield. He will reveal the areas that you missed, and the Blood of Jesus Christ will wipe it clean.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the Times of Refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord

Oh yes!  Please don’t forget to get your oil changed! I will admit when I married a mechanic, I stopped lifting up the hood to check the oil or anything else.  It was gas and go, everything else was on him.  I will never forget when he asked when was the last time I checked the oil.  When I replied 1994, he never asked again.

Our oil is very important! In order to walk in the high calling of God for our lives, we must keep our oil thick, rich and fresh.   Stop ignoring the light when it comes on, it’s there for a reason.  It’s time to change the oil.  If the oil in your car engine is dirty it has to be replaced. You risk ruining an expensive engine (your soul) if you don’t keep good, clean oil in the engine. Don’t risk losing your engine (soul), or the soul of others.  Get your oil changed! 

Old oil stinks.  Fresh oil has a better scent. If we are honest, we know some of us Christians stink (spiritually).  Some Christians are offensive to others because they haven’t bothered to get their oil changed.  We need our oil changed. We need a fresh filling. If you start feeling cranky around people, you need your oil changed.  If people can’t stand being around you; you need your oil changed. People always enjoy being around Jesus. Jesus’ oil stayed fresh. The oil you received years ago won’t do!  The oil you received last year won’t do!  You need fresh oil from Heaven today! 

Submit to the attendant (Holy Spirit) now, and allow Him to give you fresh oil.  Allow Him to massage that oil right into your engine. Let Him work the hardness out of your life and soften your heart.  Get your oil changed!

I can’t tell you the number of times my husband has walked around my car and my daughters’ to let us know that our tires need air in them.  We don’t think about things like that, do we? Well we must because without tires on the car (and being properly inflated), we aren’t going anywhere.  When we stop by the FULL SERVICE STATION they will always check your tires to make sure that they are properly inflated.  Your whole car (life) is resting on those tires (the Word) being right.

Eph. 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Now I don’t know about you, but it’s important to me that I have the proper shoes (the Word) on my feet. I can’t walk right if I don’t. When I try on shoes, it doesn’t matter how good they may look on my feet.  If I can’t get a good step in them, (line up with the Word) I will not buy them.  It doesn’t make sense to by shoes just because they’re expensive, look good, have some designer’s name on them and everyone is wearing them (everyone else is going there). You see it doesn’t matter how much you pay for your shoes, (putting money in the church) if they aren’t properly made (preaching the Word) you are going to have trouble (remember the Firestone tires?) with them.  They won’t last if they aren’t filled right. It is vital that we remember to have our tires checked. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

When was the last time you have had your brakes checked? If you don’t know, then it’s time.  Sooner or later you will have to come to a stop (and so is this newsletter).  Our brakes are just as important as our tires, because if they are properly taken care of you will run into something.  There are times in our lives when we know we must come to a stop.  We have been running, and running, and running (from the Lord) from what we know to be right simply because we think we can.  You can only run from the truth for so long.

Gal 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

It is not enough that we run in this race, by a profession of Christianity, but we must run well, by living up to that profession.  We must always have our brakes padded with the truth so that when we run into something that doesn’t agree with the Word, we won’t crash into it, (accept it) but truth and righteousness that is protecting us will cause our brakes to stop and bounce off.

Now most problems with our car (life) can be avoided if we would first apply a little preventive maintenance.

When you buy a new car, the dealer suggests that when you have driven a specific number of miles, you bring your car in for preventive maintenance. The car is not having problems (yet) and this visit is to prevent and maintain your car’s performance without major and costly repairs. Most of us ignore the preventive maintenance once we get the car, because we are too happy to have it. Some people actually take their car in at the scheduled times and though it may cost them time and money, they increase their chances of their car operating smoother, longer. Yet there are others that only take their car in for repair when the car breaks down. Many times, once the car gets to this point of ‘having’ to be repaired, the time and cost factor goes up.

Our manufacturer (God) suggests that we bring our lives in on a daily basis for maintenance (filler up). One way to do this is by studying God’s Word. As we study, it will reveal areas in our lives that may not be completely out of order, but need to be adjusted before something major happens…preventive maintenance. Yet there are some of us who wait until something in our lives breaks down before we go in for inspection and maintenance (consult God in His Word). The latter usually bringing us the greater consequences. The Bible is our how to manual, and is full of preventive maintenance procedures to help us stay running at peak performance.  If only we would take the time to study, and keep our tanks full!

FILLER UP!!!

If you haven’t already, take time right now to get your tank full, have your oil changed, go to the full service station, and keep your appointments for preventive maintenance.  By studying God’s Word and fellowshipping with others and I am sure you will find the restoration, peace and joy you need to keep your tank full.

Father, I promise to commit Your words to my heart, and tie them to my hands as a reminder, and will wear them on my forehead. I promise to teach them to my children, and will talk about Your words when I am home, I will talk about them with my friends, when I go to bed, and when I get up. I will write them on the doorposts of my house so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, me and my children will flourish in the land You swore to give my ancestors.

 IS YOUR TANK FULL…. FILLER UP!!!

Contributors to this newsletter:
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Dana Ahern – Editing (God bless you)

And all of your prayers and words of encouragement