The Dan Bennett Family

Do you know what it means to be, “running on fumes”?  It’s when the gasoline in your vehicle has been almost completely used up, and you wonder how you’ll make it to the next gas station.  You know that you needed to fill up your gas tank yesterday, but were just too busy with other things.  This morning, you ran out to go to work, drop off the kids, or meet up with a friend.  Unfortunately you woke up late, and now you are in a hurry again, and your gas is about to run out.  You gave a big sigh of relief when you finally pull in to the gas station, knowing that you were running on fumes.  You got out of your car and very quickly pump in $3.00 worth of gas.  You knew that you should “fill ‘er up,” but you just didn’t have time.

However, you don’t know what you’re going to come across as you travel on your way.  There may be an accident up ahead causing traffic to come to a crawl, or an unexpected detour that could take you some distance out of your way.  What if an emergency happens and you need to take a loved one to the hospital?  You will wish that you had taken the extra few minutes to fill your tank, so that whatever happens today, you would have been ready for it.

Your spiritual life is the same way.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:18 to be “filled with the Spirit.”  The sad fact of the matter is that many Christians are “running on fumes,” spiritually speaking.  Most Christians do not take the necessary time to “fill up” their spiritual gas tank.  They will put in about $3.00 of spiritual fuel just to get by.  Christians are too busy with things of this earth, and they don’t make their spiritual life a priority.  Many Christians wake up and rush out the door, not knowing what they are going to face each day.  We all need to take the necessary time to fill up our spiritual gas tank every day, and be filled with the Spirit.  Make some time to spend with the Lord today, and begin by saying, “Lord, fill ‘er up!”

 

Author’s note: My problem is getting to the “filling station” and getting distracted.  I can get to the place where I’m supposed to fill up my spiritual gas tank, but I sit and drink some coffee, surf the internet, do some writing, or read a novel.  It’s like driving up to a real gas station, but instead of getting gas, I spend my time in the convenience store, and my gas tank remains unfilled.  My car won’t go far on coffee and donuts.  I need to stop getting distracted and focus on getting my gas tank filled, or I am going to wind up stranded somewhere down the road because I didn’t get what I needed to get.

Get off the computer.  Read your Bible.  Pray.  Get filled with the Spirit today.

Do you sometimes feel lost and alone, forgotten, destitute, not knowing which way to go?  As you go through the struggles and stresses of life, does it seem as if no one cares?  Have you ever felt like you’re in the middle of the desert?

Believe it or not, being in the desert is not always a bad thing.

1.  Moses met God in the “backside” of the desert.  Ex. 3:1

2.  Jesus often went to a desert place on purpose.  Mt. 14:13

* Those that followed Jesus into the desert were miraculously healed.

* Those that followed Jesus into the desert were miraculously fed.

3.  Jesus told His disciples to go to a desert place to find rest.  Mk. 6:31

4.  The desert place is a good place to find Jesus.  Lk. 4:42

5.  God provided and did some great miracles for His people in the desert.  Jn. 6:31

6.  God may send you into a desert so that you can win someone to the Lord there, even if it is just one person.  At. 8:26

Instead of feeling sorry for yourself about being in the desert, look for God there, seek out Jesus, find rest for your soul, expect God to do a miracle there, and look for someone else that needs to find Jesus there, too.

Instead of focusing on the desert, look for the oasis.

Do you know anyone that has “lots of potential”?  I do.  This person has the potential to go far in life, and be used of God in a great way.

The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 has lots of potential, too, with a potent 505 horsepower engine.  It looks sharp, and has the potential to go far, go fast, and get you to your destination in first-class style.

The comparison of the person with lots of potential, and the Camaro Z/28 should be obvious.  To go anywhere, you have to get out of the garage!  You’re not going anywhere if you don’t put the key in the ignition and turn the key.

The Z/28 has a great deal of bragging points, but I want to see it, hear it, DRIVE IT!  I want to get behind the wheel and see what it can do.  Just cranking the engine, but leaving it parked in the driveway is a waste.  When there are things to do, places to go, and people to see, put your “potential” in gear and get going!

God didn’t give you lots of potential to stay stopped in the garage.  To whom much is given, much is required.  (Luke 12:48)  Fire up your engine, and let’s see what you can do for the glory of God!

Don’t be afraid of picking up your roots and following God’s leading to a new and different place.

God led Abraham to move, not even knowing to where he was going. God moved Joseph to Egypt, and only God knew the purpose of that at the time, but we all know now. For Moses, constant change was a way of life. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, and we can read of how God used him in ways he never could have imagined. The Apostle Paul was a missionary, and he was constantly picking up his roots and heading off to a new place. And finally, the Lord Jesus Christ had eternally been at Home in Heaven when He left His “comfort zone”, said “I’ll be back” to His Father, and “moved” away from all that He had ever known.

Moving can be a scary thing, but it may be that God wants to use you in ways you never could imagine in a new and different place. If God doesn’t move you, then stay put. However, it may be that your “promised land” is waiting your arrival. Perhaps God wants to meet you on your “Mount Sinai.” He may lead you to, and miraculously deliver you from your “lion’s den” to show His power. Or, perhaps like Jesus, God may use your life in a faraway place to take the Light of the Gospel to someone who would never have a chance to hear the Good News had you not gone. Read more →

Yesterday I took my van to the shop for my transmission fluid and filter to be changed, along with some minor adjustments.  It had not been done in a long time because, honestly, I had not thought about it.  (Please, no one kick me in the seat of the pants, because I already did that to myself.)  Left unattended, it had become filthy, and also had caused us some problems.  I thought that it was something serious when we first noticed the problem, expecting it to be very costly.  Since we did not have the money to pay for the repair, the van was left sitting in the garage for over a month, unusable.

When I first took the van to the shop, the owner drove the van around, but it did not present any problem for the thirty minutes he drove it.  He recommended that the fluid and filter be changed, and he was the one that said that he could make some adjustments to make the van run more smoothly.  The next day, I took the van in and dropped it off.  After about three hours, he called me and said that my van was done.  When I arrived back at the shop, the guy that did the work met me out front.  I asked him how it was, and he said the fluid was black, but now the transmission is perfect.  I was able to drive it to church last Thursday night for Prayer Meeting, and all over São Paulo on Friday.  It is in good running condition, for which we praise the Lord!  For five weeks our van sat unused because the regularly scheduled maintenance was left undone.

Christian, you need to put on your daily calendar a time to do some spiritual “maintenance.”  If not, the filth and sludge will “clog up” and hinder your spiritual operation.  It will also leave you “sitting in the garage,” going nowhere, unused, and unusable.  This van of ours that was parked in the garage for five weeks not only affected me, but also my wife and children.  It also affected others that needed a ride to church, but because it was unusable, I could not pick up anyone.  A dirty life affects more than just you.

With clean transmission fluid, a new filter, and some minor adjustments, my van is now operating normally, and being useful.  It made a world of difference.

Christian friend, how is your spiritual “transmission”?

Being in the Lord’s Army is a serious matter.  We are in a real battle against a real enemy.  We must always be on the lookout for an ambush, and even keep a watchful eye for those flaming darts.  We are privileged to be a part of the Lord’s Army, and we fight alongside some of the choicest of God’s servants.

I have recently returned from a trip to the foxholes and trenches.  I have watched some of the strongest warriors fight the good fight, and have seen some of the newest recruits in the trenches beside the veteran troops.  For a good while, I watched as the two fought side by side against the enemy.  It was a blessing to see such camaraderie.

However, I am saddened to report some of the other atrocities that I saw.  I heard some proudly boasting of how good of soldiers they are, but no one was impressed.  They have been fighting the enemy for many years, but their attitude toward the newer recruits was pathetic.

What horrified me was when they walked through the trenches – our OWN trenches – pointing out those that were not exactly the same as them.  There were some that have only been in the Lord’s Army for a short time, and thus were not well-trained in the finer aspects of the soldier’s life and responsibilities.  One soldier did not have his haircut to the liking of the proud soldiers, and he was immediately shot.  As they continued on, they saw another whose uniform was not perfectly pressed, and his boots were unpolished.  He, too, was shot.  As the proud soldiers went on examining every young, immature recruit, they found some that still had earrings, wore necklaces, listened to the wrong music, and were unskilled in their use of the Sword.  They did not encourage the young, willing soldiers, nor did they try and help them.  They were all shot on-the-spot.  The boastful soldiers walked on, bragging about what they had done, thinking that they were doing a service to the Lord’s Army.  In reality, the forces were being dwindled down to a meager handful of troops.

One awful aspect I noticed was that these arrogant soldiers had stopped firing at the enemy, and had been killing our own.  Their ammunition was used on our own soldiers.  The casualty rate of our own troops was sickening.  While the proud, murderous soldiers talked about “cleansing the Army of scumbags,” they failed to see the filth on their own uniforms, and the leeches that had attached themselves to the proud troops.

They talked about recruiting new soldiers, but their reputation had gone on ahead of them, and not many were willing to join the Army for fear of being killed by “friendly-fire.”

After a short while, I began to feel nauseous, numb, and light-headed.  How could this be happening?  How could they do this?

I confronted these proud, arrogant soldiers to try and reason with them, explaining that we need to be fighting the enemy, and not be killing our own troops.  I thought that they would listen to reason, repent of their actions, and return again to fight the real enemy.

They looked at me with disdain, and began to call me a compromiser, a backslider, a moderate, a neo-evangelical, and other words I dare not repeat.  They informed me that they had been in the Lord’s Army for a lot longer than I have been, and that I should mind my own business, or that I would be the next in their cross-hairs!

Sadly, I had to turn from the ones that I had looked up to for so long, to try and go back and help those that had been shot.  Many were injured and had no desire to return to the fight.  Some were trying to get back up and go after the ones who did this to them.  A few, although hurting, kept their attention on the real fight against the real enemy, and tried to forget about the damage that was done by our own troops.

I was kept busy as I tried to fight the good fight on one hand, and take the time to heal the broken-hearted on the other hand.  We must not neglect to fight in the raging battle, but we cannot neglect the injured, either.

Christian soldier, we don’t need to be shooting our own, nor should we have to stop fighting because we are too busy attending to those injured by “friendly-fire.”  Keep your sights on the enemy, and your ammunition to be used in the good fight against our foe.  Let’s not shoot our comrades, our colleagues, our family, and our friends, but let us fight the good fight together, and not forget who the REAL enemy is.