EPISODE 38 / "IT AIN'T GOT NO GAS IN IT"

The speaker discusses the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with God in order to have a fulfilling and impactful life. They emphasize the need to establish a personal relationship with God, control one's thought life, pursue consistency in faith and actions, nurture community within a church, and recover quickly from mistakes. The speaker uses analogies such as a tiller without gas and an engine running on the wrong fuel to illustrate the importance of filling one's life with positive and godly influences. They encourage listeners to seek a deeper, more intimate walk with God in order to fulfill their purpose in life. I'll see if you can figure out what's wrong with this thing. It won't crank up and everything seems to be put together, right? Okay, stop back up. Don't worry about it, you're doing good. It ain't got no gas in it. You see there, Scooter? Things are the simplest things first. That was a clip from the movie Sling Blade with Billy Bob Thornton. I must confess, I've never seen the movie, but that's a pretty famous clip. These guys are standing around outside this shop and they have an old tiller. And they said, everything's put together right, we just can't get it to run. And so Carl, the Billy Bob Thornton character, comes over there and he kneels down next to the tiller and opens up the gas cap and just simply gives his diagnosis. It ain't got no gas in it. It's so simple. And the guy said, so neat what he said. He said he always thinks of the simplest things first. I'll tell you, there's a lot of folks wandering around, a lot of children of God wandering around and everything seems to be put together right. Everything seems to be in place. We're going through the motions of our daily life, but we're just not getting anywhere. And the truth is, it's the simplest thing. There's no gas in the tank. So many people I've dealt with through the years, they want an intimacy with God and they're frustrated. So many believers live in a frustrated life because they just can't have that walk. They just can't seem to get cranked up and going. I've even seen many cases where it's a case of what I might call Christian jealousy. Might be a man that sees a man leading his family well and walking with the Lord and he really wants that. And everything seems to be in the right place, but he just can't get it started. And that's because the tank is empty. So what I want to do today is I want to give you a list. Five things. If we're wanting an intimacy with God, if we want a deeper walk, if we want that kind of walk with God, that changes us. It changes our marriage, how we relate to our spouse. It changes, it infects how we parent our children. We take it out on the streets with us and it affects how we treat our fellow man. I want to give you five things that I think will make a difference and fill up our tanks. Number one, establish relationship. We always have to go back. Are you sure of your salvation? Is there a time and a place where you were born again? That's what Jesus said, you know, that sweet doctrine of adoption that God has sought us out and he adopted us into his family. I find so many people know all about God. They just don't know God. So we have to make sure of our salvation. The second thing is we need to learn to control our thought life. So establish relationship and control thinking. Philippians 4.8 says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence, if there is anything worth of praise, listen, think about these things. And Romans 12.2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and what is acceptable and what is perfect. I'm telling you, Satan can have his way with us in our lives and get us off track and set us over in a junk heap just by controlling our mind. Things in this world that he put before our eyes to get us off track. And so we need to learn to control our thinking. Think on good things. Think on pure things. Think on lovely things. So establish relationship. We need to learn to control our thought life. And we need to pursue consistency. So many people today live inconsistent lives on a roller coaster. High one day, low the next day. Some people you never know which version of them is going to walk through the door. And I just believe that is not God's will for our life. We need to learn to be consistent. Consistent in God's word. Consistent in prayer. Consistent in service. 1 Corinthians 15, 58 says, But listen to these key words. Steadfast. Immovable. Always abounding. Always abounding. In the work of the Lord. We should seek to have consistent lives. We shouldn't be one person at the church house. And another person at the ball field. And another person in the office. Another person out on the lake. Or another person out on the golf course. We need to pursue consistency. I think those first three things would get you a long way to filling up your tank. Establish relationship. Return to that time when you were born again. Control your thought life. Don't let the devil take you on a ride. And number four, I believe is a big one. Nurture community. We should be part of a healthy, vibrant group of believers. A church. Most of the New Testament was written to a local church. A place where we're around like-minded people. Who are going to encourage us because the Bible commands that we encourage one another. That we edify one another. That we support one another. That community. That nurturing community is a place of accountability. And when we start getting off track. And our doctrine gets a little iffy. Our walk. Our behavior. Our language. Whatever it is, an accountable community will help pull us back in. Hebrews 10 verses 24 and 25 says, Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Not neglecting the meeting together as is the habit of some. But encouraging one another and all the more as we see the day approaching. Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses 9 through 12. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toll. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone. Two will withstand him. A three-foured cord is not quickly broken. Galatians 6 verse 2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. And of course in Acts chapter 2, you just look at the church. They didn't just meet up in a big giant room once a week and sing some songs and hear a sermon and just go about their way. No, they were involved in each other's lives. They shared things. If you needed something and I had it, the Acts chapter 2 church, it was yours. We took care of one another. So establish relationship. Learn to control your thinking. Pursue consistency consciously. Try to have a consistent life. Let your words and your actions and let it all be consistent with who you claim to be. And nurture community. Be part of a good church, a good Sunday school class, a good men's group. And number five, recover quickly. What's that mean, Brother Scott? That means we're going to mess up. You're going to fall. You're going to say the wrong thing. You're going to do the wrong thing. And you're going to fall and you're going to skin your knee. I just finished a sermon all about falling down. So when you fail, when you fall, get back up. Get back on. Run to God, not away from God. So many people, they get embarrassed because everybody knows because we've had a public stumble. And so a lot of times it's out of embarrassment we run from God. And we run from the church, the hospital where we should love and care for one another and forgive one another. So when you mess up, part of that deep intimate walk is seeking forgiveness of the Lord and restoration with the fellowship. Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 says, Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. Philippians 4.13, whatever all this verse means, Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In other words, if it says nothing else, that it's his strength and not ours. And we don't have to stay down when we fall. Jeremiah 29.11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Romans 8.28, And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Second Chronicles 15.7, But take courage, do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. And Isaiah 41.10, Fear not, I am with you. Be not dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. My dear friends, establish relationship. Control your thinking. Pursue consistency. Nurture community. And recover quickly. So I hope today that you are pursuing that deeper walk, that more intimate walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. That teller, all the things were there. Everything was put together right. It looked like it ought to be cranking. But there was one simple thing. There was no fuel in the tank. My dear friends, we have to be faithful. We have to be faithful in the word, in prayer, in service. Being part of the bride of Christ, the church. We have to not let the devil have his way with our minds. We have to put our hands to the plow. Get busy and serve. It's hard to rock the boat when your hands are busy rowing the boat. One thing that can mess an engine up, if you put the wrong fuel in. If you put gasoline in a diesel engine, or diesel fuel in a gasoline engine, you've got serious trouble. And probably what most of us do from time to time is we're trying to burn on the wrong fuel. We need to fill our lives, fill our hearts and our minds and our tanks with things that are lovely and pure and good. Those things are the things we should think on. So today, my friends, I hope that this helps a little bit. That we all get off track. We should recover quickly and get back up. But my friends, there is no sense, there is no reason for a child of God to be on the sideline. To be like an old lawn mower that's been pushed over in the weeds that's good for nothing. God has a purpose for you. God has a purpose for me. And we can fulfill that. But we need to seek that more intimate, being sanctified, growing in that more intimate relationship with the Lord. I hope you have a good week. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it and pass it along. We want to reach more and more people with just a little word in the mornings. Let me pray for you and we'll get on with our day. Father God, we thank you, Lord, for this day. God, thank you for loving us, for pursuing us. Your word says that none of us come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. Lord, thank you for pursuing us. Lord, thank you for salvation. Thank you for assurance that we don't have to wonder or guess that we're a wanted child, an adopted child, a child you pursued. And it cost you a lot. It cost the Lamb of God. It cost his spotless Lamb of God. It cost him his life. Lord, thank you for loving us and pursuing us. I pray for my friends out there, Lord, that you'll bless them, you'll keep them safe. Lord, that you will give us purpose this week, that it'll be more than just the things we do to earn a paycheck and hobbies and fun. But God, I pray that this week you would give us kingdom purpose. Lord, let us have part in your work in the here and the now. We love you, Lord. Thank you for loving us first. In Jesus' name, amen.