As a child there was nothing that I enjoyed more than going on a car ride with my Daddy. It did not matter where we were going, I just enjoyed the ride. However, my Dad was famous for letting the fuel indicator light stay on a little longer than Mom and I would have liked. He would always tell Mom and I that we had enough gas for 40 to 50 miles or so and that we needed not to fear. However, I was always still afraid that Dad would push it to the limit too much and we would be stranded without gas in the car in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, that never happened. He always got us to the gas station in time, even if we were as Mom would say, "running on fumes."
A gasoline powered car cannot run without gasoline. Electronics cannot function without either battery charge or electricity. Without water, sunlight, and roots planted firmly in the ground, a plant or tree will wither away and become non-living. A candle cannot shine a flame without a spark from a lighter or match. All of these analogies show the need for a power source in order to function.
The life and heart of a Christian is no different. God has a specific plan in mind for every believer crafted out by the Master Potter. (Jer. 29:11). The plan that God has for me in many ways is different than the plan He has laid out for you. He created us with different personalities, experiences, and spiritual gifts which are part of each individual's plan and purpose. However, there is much in His plan for every believer that is the same. First, we are all created to serve Him with gladness and give Him the praise for He is worthy ( Psalm 100: 2, Rev. 4:11). Secondly, we are all created to serve others above ourselves in Christlike love. In doing so, others will see our good works and glorify Him (Phil. 2:3-4, Matthew 5:16). These two ideas are how Jesus summed up the whole of all commandments. Therefore, my honest daily prayer is that of being a humble servant of God and others. That is the example that Jesus set and followed to perfection. How did He do it? He stayed in connection to and yielded control to the Father and the Spirit.
If the perfect Son of God needed to do this, then so do I. I cannot run on empty. I cannot be without reliance on my power source in order to fulfill my purpose. The same is true for all believers. He is the Vine and we are the branches. We can only produce fruit if we abide in Him. Without Him we are nothing, but with Him we can do all things. (John 15:4-5, Phil. 4:13).
In order to serve Christ and others to the fullest, we need to take time to fill up and connect to our source of power--Him. To do that we must spend time apart in personal study and prayer. We must seek His ways, His face, His power, His blessing, His Word, and His direction. We have to also rest in God-sufficiency and not self-sufficiency. Christ came apart from the crowds and His ministry to pray seeking the strength and face of His Father.
Believe me, I have often tried to serve in my own strength, especially in my early teenage years of ministry. Believe me, I have served without spending time with Him--just think of 5 of those 9 months in that downward spiral mentioned in my first post of which devotional time was 0% and prayer was minimal crisis prayers along the way. I do believe that God was able to do something with that time of ministry for His name's sake more than my own. However, the fire of the flame was not burning very bright. In my lack of connection to the source, I believe much work that could've been accomplished for Him and others was hindered.
What God taught me through the journey out of the downward spiral was a level of dependency on Him and His Spirit that I had never experienced. Praise God! The only way that I was going to conquer was in the strength and direction of my Lord and His answer to my prayer to change the yielding of my heart back to Him. The result has been that of prayer over each aspect of my ministry with children, adults, music, etc. I cannot impart to others a passion of which I do not first possess. If I am not the one ministering, I am in prayer for those who are doing the ministering. We all need prayer and help as we serve Him in a united heart and purpose. As I walk into situations in life, I find myself in a state of prayer for His strength and wisdom. It has become the closest to a state of continual prayer than I have ever experienced in personal practice. Again, I am not perfect, but learning that to be the most effective in service I need to stay connected to and rely on my One and Only power source. Then when He gives the increase, I must humbly give Him the credit, for it is His work. At times it is easy and tempting to be prideful in heart. I still must cling to the Word that correctly states without Him, I am nothing!
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