Spiritual Fuel

 

 

 

 

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11),
"This has become mine, that I observed Your precepts" (Psalm 119:56).

 

 

This morning, as I was heading out to the early morning prayer meeting, I felt a sense of anxiety again. In the past, I had some trouble when the church van I was driving to morning prayer ran out of gas, causing stress and discomfort. Today, as I drove my own car, I noticed the fuel gauge needle was almost at empty. So I prayed and drove with a heart asking the Lord to help me make it off the 2 Freeway and just get to the Arco gas station. Thankfully, I made it to Arco, filled up the tank, and was able to press the accelerator freely and drive safely to church.

Reflecting on this early morning experience, I shared Psalm 119:11 and 56 during the prayer meeting. The psalmist says he has hidden God’s Word in his heart (v.11). He did so in order not to sin against the Lord. Living in obedience to that Word—this, for the psalmist, was his “possession” (v.56). In other words, the psalmist was filled with spiritual fuel. So even when temptations came that could lead him to sin, like pressing the gas pedal in a car, he was led by the Word and fled from temptation.

But then I asked myself: Why can't I accelerate like the psalmist did with the Word? Upon self-reflection, I realized it may be because I'm not consistently refueling with spiritual fuel. Just as I hadn't driven my car for a week and didn't know how much gas was left in the tank, I wonder if I’m serving busily without knowing how much spiritual fuel I’ve already consumed in my hurried faith life. When I receive God’s living and active Word—my spiritual fuel—and apply it to my life, making it truly mine, my spiritual tank becomes full. Then I should be able to accelerate through and escape the many temptations of the world. But when I can't do that, I realize it’s because I lack spiritual fuel.

There’s another reason, too: even if I have fuel, what kind of fuel matters. When I put gas in my car, I almost always use Regular Unleaded, because it’s the cheapest option available for my vehicle. But when I made a long drive to my father-in-law’s house in Arizona, I remember using Premium Unleaded. My wife told me it was better for long drives. Still, there’s a better grade than Premium—Super Unleaded—but because it’s expensive per gallon, I rarely use it.

In the same way, I believe spiritual fuel can be categorized into three levels:

  • Regular Unleaded can represent a spiritual state where one only knows the Word intellectually. That is, God’s Word is in the mind merely as information.

  • Premium Unleaded may represent a state where one has received grace through the Word and tries to apply it, but still falls frequently. This is likely because the root has not gone deep.

  • Super Unleaded, the best type of fuel, would represent applying God’s Word in life, resulting in personal transformation. It’s a life with deep roots that bears fruit.

Perhaps the psalmist’s spiritual fuel was like Super Unleaded—he applied God’s Word deeply and made it his own possession. And that’s likely why he also experienced the reviving power of the Word.

This morning, I felt uneasy when I saw that the fuel gauge in my car was nearly at empty. During prayer, I was reminded of what the psalmist said to his own soul: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5). When we lack spiritual fuel, our souls inevitably become anxious—and even discouraged.

That is why I’ve been taught that I must regularly check my spiritual fuel level and refill it when I sense the warning signs, so the needle doesn’t drop to the bottom. But even better, I believe, is to continually receive spiritual fuel from the Lord so that I’m already full before any warning signs appear.

I am confident that if I fill my spiritual tank with the best “spiritual fuel,” I will be able to accelerate and escape when temptations come rushing in. Just as we routinely and consistently fill our vehicles with gasoline in order to use them, I want to continually and faithfully fill my spiritual tank with the best spiritual fuel—God’s Word—so that when the temptations of the world come, I can speed away from them, like Joseph did, through the power of the Word.

This morning, as I checked the condition of my spiritual fuel tank, I spent time meditating, proclaiming, and praying. And now, once again, I reflect and write down the Word that the Lord has given me—seeking to fill my spiritual fuel tank with the best “spiritual gasoline” through a life of obedience to His Word.

 

 

 

With a thankful heart for God’s teaching on this morning when I received spiritual fuel,

 

 

Sharing by Pastor James Kim
(Praying that even on this long journey of faith, I may gain speed through the spiritual fuel of God’s Word)