Is your relationship with God something you just think about in moments of need?
Raise your hand if you were the driver to church today? Raise your hand if you were the passenger? Were any of you considered with what you may run into on way your way to church this morning?
Before a road trip we should look over our cars for certain things. We should start by looking over the car inside and out for any noticeable issues, like burnt out headlights or worn windshield wipers. Make sure your tires are inflated to the pressure specified in the owner’s manual, and check the tread on your tires using the penny test. We should also have jumper cables and everything we need to fix a flat tire.
I was given the illustration once of a woman driving down the highway in her car. For the most part she just drives along unaware of any car problems that could happen. She feels secure, because there are no lights on her dashboard and she pre-pack her car for emergency. So, her mind is wandering from his family, her job, and is focused on her destination. One thing she is almost for sure not thinking about is the spare tire in the trunk. Until, the moment misfortune befalls her, and then she is very thankful that there is an extra tire on board to swap; so, she can continue on her way.
We can use this illustration to describe what some people feel that their Christian’s life is like. Some Christians do not visit God when everything going nice and smooth and everything seems to be under control. Then, something comes along, a trial or test that challenges the person and suddenly they remember God and His promises. This is when they pull out the “spare tire.” They lug out the tire from the trunk, hoping it has air, puts it on, drives to the shop for a repair, and just as quickly tosses it back into the trunk until the next time a trial comes upon him.
People do this with Christ all the time. They don’t speak to Him until He is needed. Then, they expect Him to be at their beacon call. Shouldn’t there be more to Christian life, more than just turning to God when the chips are down? Doesn’t the sacrifice of His Son deserve a much deeper love and devotion?
What is a Christian?
By definition a Christian is, “a person who is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.” Being a Christian is an ongoing lifelong process of following the example of Jesus Christ. A person who claims to be a Christian should demonstrate his or her belief by living the way Christ lived—doing what Christ did—and avoiding what Christ avoided. Jesus, the leader of all true Christians, taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10.
Shouldn’t that be it then? True Christianity, the life Jesus lived, is learning the Father’s will and then doing it, as it is already being done in heaven.
A “spare tire” Christian never actually comes to know the Father’s will; thus, can never do it. They’re the ones at the steering wheel and in control of where their life is going. With this mind, they show God, they actually don’t need His help and thus fail to receive His guidance and power in their life.
But true Christians have totally surrendered their life to God and devoted themselves to following His Son Jesus. They’ve totally given up relying on their human thoughts and ideas. Christians have seen time and again how poorly it has gone when they’ve been the ones at the wheel. God loves this attitude of heart so much that He fills them with His Spirit, their thoughts entering into a totally new realm, guided by Him who loves them and wants only the best for them. (Romans 8:28)
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Prayer:
Corrie ten Boom first asked the question, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” In other words, is prayer the guiding factor in all of your life, like the steering wheel on your car, or is prayer something you whip out in case of an emergency, like the spare tire in your trunk? Is prayer the first priority in your daily life, or is it the last resort? Is it your steering wheel or your spare tire? F.B. Meyer said, “The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”
But prayer is God’s gift to us. In Luke 18 Jesus begins the chapter with the direction, “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Do you know why prayer needs to be the steering wheel and not the spare tire? It is because God is good to us. He is our Father who would never give us something that is bad or evil.
Ephesians 6:18-20
New International Version
“18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
After describing the pieces of the armor of God, Paul adds another important part of spiritual battle: prayer. This is not a piece of spiritual armor, yet is essential to winning spiritual battles. Why? Prayer connects us to the power of God, which is necessary to defeat spiritual enemies. Communication in battle is often the difference between victory and defeat. This is especially true when referring to soldiers hearing the instructions of their Commander.
Paul then notes some specific applications of prayer in this verse and the next. First, believers are to pray “in the Spirit.” Our prayers are not merely our thoughts or about our desires, but are to be done in submission to God.
Next, we are to “keep alert.” While we may not be literally praying every waking second, there is never a good time to set prayer aside. It’s a tool we need to have in constant use (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Third, prayer is something to do “with all perseverance.” We do not pray once each day and then stop. We are to talk with God persistently and about all matters. Nothing is too big or too small to discuss with the Lord.
Finally, Paul highlights the importance of praying for the needs of other believers. We praise God in prayer, pray for our own needs, and also pray for the needs of others. Each of these areas is important.
How do we Find out the Father’s will for our lives?
God reveals His will to us in Scripture. For instance, we know it’s God’s will for us to love our neighbors, bridle our tongues, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. We know it’s God’s will that we not murder, steal, cheat, lie, slander, gossip, or boast. How do we know? Because he has told us in his Word.
Romans 12:2 “2 cDo not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
God reveals to us as we diligently study and seek to understand His word. For example, we discover God’s will as we sit under good preaching and teaching, reading and studying the Bible, and and memorizing our Bibles. We must do this in our in a covenant community; so, we will grow in our ability to know God’s revealed will.
Filled with this new mind they press forward, consumed with finding out the Father’s will and carrying it out in their life. At first it is difficult to hear the Spirit’s voice and enter into the Father’s will, having spent so much of their lifetime following human tendencies and influences. However, they diligently press into God through his Word and prayer, and discover with time and obedience that this voice becomes clearer as God gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. (Acts 5:32)
Whether the decision of the moment involves choosing a spouse or choosing new flooring, we can trust our sovereign God to order our lives for his glory and our good. Today and every day, the truth is clear: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3).
Step by step, Christians become totally dependent on the Father and experience that being obedient to His leading brings a fulness of joy and peace. This peace and joy bears them through trials, as they also experience that obeying God’s will means surrendering their own lusts
Romans 8:18. Together with the apostle Paul they say: “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Having struggled under their own weakness and humanness for so long, they now rejoice over the grace it is to live in His presence and have Him guide their life. Like the prophet Isaiah, they rejoice every morning for the grace it is to awake and hear the Spirit’s voice, the guide they’ve become dependent on to navigate through everyday life. (Isaiah 50:4)
As we “drive” through our Christian life let’s be those who are led and guided in all things by Him who opened the way to life for us, our ears open and alert for that which He is saying, those changes in direction He wants to give us every day. If we are content to be at the wheel our whole life we will never enter into fellowship with the Father and the Son, and never partake of His joy and life. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. Yes; let’s rather live our lives in constant fellowship with Jesus, and we too will experience the same fruits start coming forth from our lives, to an ever-increasing degree.
